canonical-livepatch-downloader1.1.1

canonical-livepatch-downloader retrieves Canonical Livepatch patch files from the command line and lets administrators query what is available. It serves Linux systems where the Canonical Livepatch client cannot be used, offering targeted patch retrieval rather than the client’s full functionality. The tool is intended for operators who need a limited way to obtain Livepatch updates for particular kernels and architectures.

Users enable it with the enable command and an Ubuntu Pro token from the Ubuntu Pro dashboard; that token must include Livepatch entitlement and belong to the stable tier. The get-latest command obtains the newest patch for a system, with required flags identifying the target architecture and kernel. Its list command displays available patches and can narrow the results by kernel or architecture.

Output from list can be supplied to get-files to save a chosen group of patch files, while -K or --keep-tarball additionally preserves the retrieved patch tarball. Patch files are placed in ~/snap/canonical-livepatch-downloader/common/patches, and retained tarballs go under ~/snap/canonical-livepatch-downloader/common/tarballs. This arrangement suits scripted maintenance and manual patch selection when the standard Livepatch client is unavailable.

Canonical publishes the Linux release for amd64 and arm64 systems with snapd, under a commercial license. Removing the snap can generate a large snapshot after multiple patches have been saved, so the purge command is provided for removal without creating that snapshot.