version ubuntu question

[ale-softplace]

hi!

I received the following email, and I'm not sure if I can continue using my existing VMs with that version of ubuntu or do I have to update ?

VMs already exist for 1 year
but I prefer not to change anything

thanks for your answers

We've identified you're using Ubuntu 18.04 as a base image for one or more of your Google Compute Engine (GCE) virtual machines (VMs). We recommend that you evaluate your GCE deployments and take action to reduce the impact of this change. Hello soft, We’re writing to remind you about an upcoming change to your Google Compute Engine (GCE) services. As noted on our operating system details for Ubuntu LTS, Canonical’s distribution of Ubuntu 18.04 LTS (Bionic) will reach the end of standard support on May 31, 2023. What do you need to know? Ubuntu 18.04 (Bionic) images are published by Canonical for use in GCE. Starting May 31, 2023, when you create a new VM using the standard VM creation process, you won't be able to select Ubuntu 18.04 as a preconfigured image to start a new VM. Additionally, it won’t be returned when you run gcloud compute images list on the command line. Further, the image families ubuntu-1804-lts and ubuntu-minimal-1804-lts in the ubuntu-os-cloud project won’t have active images. What do you need to do? We recommend you take one of following paths: Upgrade to Ubuntu 20.04 LTS or later: Evaluate whether you can move your GCE instances to Ubuntu 20.04 or 22.04 before May 31, 2023. In-place upgrades of cloud images from one distribution to another are supported by Canonical. Upgrade from Ubuntu 18.04 LTS to Ubuntu Pro 18.04 LTS: If you are unable to upgrade current Ubuntu 18.04 deployments to a more recent distribution, you can upgrade to Ubuntu Pro 18.04 LTS to receive Extended Security Maintenance (ESM). Follow the upgrade from Ubuntu to Ubuntu Pro guide to upgrade your instances without the need to reinstall or modify your workload. Keep in mind the following: Ubuntu Pro is a premium image and incurs charges to use. ESM for Ubuntu 18.04 is available for five additional years (until 2028) as part of Canonical's Ubuntu Pro offering with on-demand billing. You can continue to receive security upgrades during that time. Details on pricing can be found on the Premium images pricing page. For custom requirements or volume discounts, please contact Canonical. If you need to create an instance using deprecated Ubuntu 18.04 LTS images, you can: Go to Cloud Console > Images list > show deprecated images > Actions > Create Instance Use the --show-deprecated parameter when running gcloud commands. If you don’t take action, you will still be able to start and stop your existing VMs, and your current VMs running Ubuntu 18.04 will not be affected. However, if you run Ubuntu 18.04 after May 31, 2023, you will no longer receive security patches and your projects will be vulnerable to security risks. We have identified that your projects listed below have used Ubuntu 18.04 LTS recently, and may be impacted by this change. Thanks for choosing Google Compute Engine.