The latest version of Ubuntu Linux will be released this week, adding greater support for virtualisation in its server edition, while laptop users gain better tools for connecting to wireless networks and a new Windows migration assistant preserves user settings when installing Ubuntu.

Ubuntu version 7.04, available as a free download from April 19, will support server virtualisation through Xen, VMware, and the new open-source Kernel-based Virtual Machine (KVM) project.

This wide-ranging approach is necessary because virtualisation is still at a relatively immature stage, according to Mark Shuttleworth, chief executive of Canonical Ltd, which sponsors Ubuntu development and provides paid-for technical support

"We wanted to make sure users can test out all the various virtualisation options available," Shuttleworth said. He praised VMware in particular for working with the Linux community to smooth adoption of its technology.

In the desktop edition, a new migration tool eases upgrades by preserving much of the user's Windows environment settings. It imports browser bookmarks, desktop wallpaper, and IM contacts into Ubuntu during installation.

Ubuntu 7.04 provides better facilities for mobile workers with laptops, such as auto-detection of printers and wireless networks, plus help to roam seamlessly from one connection to another. An improved multimedia framework also enables users to more easily upgrade codecs and player applications as necessary.

This version is the result of the first full-length development cycle since the release of the corporate-focussed Ubuntu 6.0 Long Term Support (LTS) in 2006, which offers updates for three years on the desktop and five years on servers. The next LTS release may be version 7.10 or 8.04, depending on the development status of the Linux kernel in the near future.

"We wouldn't want to build the next LTS at the same time as a radical new ke rnel is coming," said Shuttleworth.