Ubuntu, the popular Linux distribution founded on Debian Linux and the Gnome desktop, released its 6.06 LTS (Long Term Support) edition on Thursday.

Canonical Ltd., the British company that puts out Ubuntu, said version 6.06 LTS is geared toward larger organizations that want Linux on both desktop PCs and powering their servers.

"Ubuntu has a reputation for working well out of the box on desktops, and we have worked to bring that same ease of deployment and configuration to the server marketplace," said Mark Shuttleworth, the South African founder of the Ubuntu project. "We've aimed to streamline their experience while expanding the range of software available to people deploying Ubuntu in the data center."

In particular, the server edition of 6.06 LTS includes a feature the reduces setup time for companies providing hosted LAMP (Linux, Apache, MySQL, and PHP) services.

Formerly code-named "Dapper Drake," 6.06 LTS is the first Ubuntu release with a separate server version, as well as the first for which Canonical will sell long-term support. Canonical's support costs $750 per server per year. Ubuntu 6.06 LTS will be supported with security updates for 5 years on the server side and 3 years on the desktop, said Canonical, the longest lifespan yet for the Linux distribution.

Other improvements and additions are spelled out in the 6.06 LTS release notes on the Ubuntu Web site.

The desktop and server distributions can be obtained from the Web via a direct or BitTorrent download, or by requesting a free CD.