Common questions regarding the end of standard support for the Mk1C operating system

My Institution does not allow Ubuntu 18.04 devices on the network

You can use the Mk1C in offline mode until a Debian image is available. We anticipate the Debian-based microSD card to be dispatched towards the end of Q3 with electronic copies of the image available earlier in Q3. A note will be posted on the community when the image is available. When available, please contact support and we will be able to provide a downloadable image you can use to update your Mk1C with an SD card.

Will my Mk1C function differently after moving to the Debian Bullseye OS?

No, most customers will not notice the difference with the change. Other OS optimisations are included but these have a negligible performance uplift with main performance uplifts coming from MinKNOW itself.

Can I get an ESM Key (extended security maintenance key) for my Mk1C

ESM Keys are not available from Canonical (publisher for the Ubuntu operating system) for ARM-based devices such as the Mk1C.

Will other ONT devices require updating?

Our GridION and PromethION platforms ship with the latest supported version of Ubuntu at the time. If you have an older GridION or PromethION and have not updated please visit the relevant sections of the community user manual for your GridION or PromethION.

Please note: Our platforms have specific configurations that enable interaction with our instruments. As such please only use ONT provided images to update your devices.

Will there be future MinKNOW releases for Mk1Cs on the Bionic operating system?

MinKNOW will continue to be built for the Mk1Cs running Bionic whilst we transition to Debian-based Mk1Cs.

Are Mk1Cs going to need to have future operating system changes?

We do not expect customers to update the operating system moving forward as the Debian operating system can be supported for the long term until the Mk1D and iPad accessory is a released product. Roadmaps of the MinION range were shared at London Calling 2023 and further information will be made available on the community.

We were able to successfully update over 95% of active, online customers to Ubuntu 18.04 and are incorporating improvements learned during this transition. Since we are moving to a different Linux distribution in Debian, we are performing additional testing and validation to make the process more seamless for our users.