Upgrading your system from Ubuntu 22.04 LTS (Jammy Jellyfish) to Ubuntu 24.04 LTS (Noble Numbat) requires careful preparation, especially for production servers or cloud VMs. This comprehensive guide will cover both the GUI-based and command-line (CLI) upgrade methods. We’ll emphasize safe practices – from backing up data to planning reboots – to ensure a smooth transition. By following these steps, intermediate Linux users can confidently upgrade important systems with minimal downtime.

Before You Begin: Preparation and Safety

Upgrading a production server or critical VM is not a task to rush. Before starting the upgrade process, take time to prepare your system and mitigate risks:

• Backup Your Data and Configurations: Perform a full backup of important data (e.g. user home directories, databases) and system configuration files. For instance, you might use a tool like Timeshift or rsync to save copies of /home and /etc to an external location. This ensures you can recover or rebuild the system if something goes wrong. In cloud environments, consider taking a VM snapshot or image backup for quick rollback. (Many admins back up offsite before major upgrades – even if they never need to restore, it’s a critical safety net.)
• Check Release Notes and App Compatibility: Review the Ubuntu 24.04 LTS release notes for known issues or major changes. Ensure that critical applications or services you rely on will be compatible with 24.04. (For example, if you use specialized software or third-party drivers, verify support for Ubuntu 24.04 before upgrading.) If an essential app isn’t yet supported on 24.04, you may decide to postpone the upgrade.
• Update Your Current System: On Ubuntu 22.04, install all available updates and fixes before attempting the release upgrade. This helps avoid conflicts during the version bump. Open a terminal and run:

  sudo apt update && sudo apt full-upgrade

Install all updates, then reboot into 22.04 if the updater or kernel updates require it. Starting the upgrade from a fully patched 22.04 system reduces the chance of errors.

• Disable or Evaluate Third-Party PPAs: Third-party package repositories (PPAs) and external apt sources can cause issues during distribution upgrades. Ubuntu’s upgrade tool will automatically disable all third-party sources to prevent conflicts. It’s wise to review any PPAs you’ve added:
• If possible, disable or remove PPAs before upgrading (you can do this in “Software & Updates” under the Other Software tab or by commenting them out in /etc/apt/sources.list.d/ files).
• Know that any software installed from PPAs will not get updates during the upgrade unless the PPA has a 24.04 version available. You can re-enable needed PPAs after the upgrade, but only if they support 24.04 (we’ll cover this in a post-upgrade step).
• Verify System Integrity: Ensure you have sufficient free disk space (distribution upgrades can download 1.5–2+ GB of packages). Clean up any apt issues (like held broken packages) and consider running sudo apt autoremove to clear out old kernels and packages, freeing space. Also, check that important services (SSH, web servers, etc.) are working normally on 22.04 before you begin. It’s much easier to fix issues on the known-good system than during an upgrade.
• Plan for Downtime and Reboot: Perform the upgrade in a maintenance window. Expect the system to reboot at the end of the process – schedule accordingly for any necessary downtime. If this is a remote server, ensure you have console access or an alternate way to connect in case the network is temporarily unavailable after reboot. For example, if upgrading over SSH, Ubuntu’s upgrader will warn you and open a fallback SSH daemon on another port (e.g. 9004) to help you reconnect if your main session drops. It’s still best practice to have an out-of-band management or cloud console ready, since any network interruption could require manual intervention.

By taking these precautions – backups, updates, PPA review, and planning – you set the stage for a successful upgrade. Now, let’s go through the upgrade procedures.

Method 1: GUI Upgrade (Desktop)

If your Ubuntu 22.04 system has a desktop environment, you can use the graphical Software Updater to upgrade to 24.04 LTS. This is convenient for desktops or VMs where you have GUI access.

Step 1: Check Update Manager Settings

Figure: In Software & Updates (Updates tab), set Notify me of a new Ubuntu version to “For long-term support versions” to ensure you’ll be offered the next LTS upgrade.

Before launching the upgrade, confirm that your system is configured to receive LTS version notifications. Open Software & Updates (you can find it via the Activities search or the applications menu). In the Updates tab, find the setting “Notify me of a new Ubuntu version:” and ensure it is set to For long-term support versions. This setting ensures that Ubuntu will prompt you about new LTS releases (like 24.04) when they’re available. If it was set to “Never” or to only normal releases, change it to LTS. Close the Software & Updates tool after verifying this.

Note: Ubuntu typically enables direct LTS-to-LTS upgrades only after the first point release of the new LTS is out. In this case, upgrade from 22.04 to 24.04 became available after 24.04.1 LTS was released in August 2024. By now, you should be able to upgrade normally; if not, ensure your system is fully updated and the above setting is correct.

Step 2: Launch Software Updater and Begin Upgrade

Make sure your system is plugged in (if a laptop) or on reliable power and internet. Then, launch the Software Updater application (also known as Update Manager). It will first check your system for any remaining package updates. If it finds normal package updates, install those and reboot if prompted before proceeding with the release upgrade. You want “0 updates pending” when starting the distribution upgrade.

After the updater finds no further regular updates, it will detect the availability of Ubuntu 24.04 LTS. You should see a message like: “However, Ubuntu 24.04 LTS is now available (you have 22.04).” along with an Upgrade… button in the Software Updater window.

Figure: Software Updater indicating that Ubuntu 24.04 LTS is available as an upgrade from the current 22.04 LTS. Click Upgrade… to proceed.

Click Upgrade… to start the distribution upgrade process. You may be asked to enter your password to authenticate the upgrade.

Step 3: Follow the On-Screen Upgrade Wizard

Once you initiate the upgrade, Ubuntu will present a series of dialogs guiding you through the process:

• Release Notes: A window will show information about Ubuntu 24.04 LTS (Noble Numbat), including a brief description and a link to the release notes. Take a moment to read the notes for any special changes. When ready, click Upgrade (or Continue) to confirm you want to upgrade to 24.04.
• Preparing to Upgrade: The updater will disable your screensaver/lock screen to prevent it from activating during the long upgrade process. It will then set up new software sources for Ubuntu 24.04 and disable third-party sources (PPAs) automatically. You might see a notice like “Third party sources disabled” – informing you that any entries in your apt sources outside the official Ubuntu ones have been turned off for now.
  

  Figure: During the upgrade, Ubuntu disables third-party software sources (PPAs) to avoid conflicts. You can re-enable them after the upgrade via Software & Updates or other package tools.

  
  
• Fetching and Installing Packages: The system will now download the Ubuntu 24.04 packages and begin the installation. You’ll see a progress window titled “Distribution Upgrade” showing steps such as “Setting new software channels,” “Getting new packages,” “Installing the upgrades,” “Cleaning up,” etc. with a progress bar. This part can take some time (anywhere from 20 minutes to over an hour) depending on your internet speed and system performance.
  

  Figure: The upgrade wizard will calculate changes and show a summary before proceeding. You’ll see how many packages will be installed, upgraded, or removed, and the estimated download size/time. Click Start Upgrade to proceed when ready.

  
  

  Eventually, a dialog will summarize the actions: for example, it may say something like “500 new packages will be installed, 1400 packages will be upgraded, 150 packages will be removed. Download size ~1.9 GB.”. This is the point of no return – click Start Upgrade to begin the actual package upgrade. From here on, the updater will churn through downloading and installing packages automatically.

  
  
• During Installation: You might be prompted about a few special cases:
• If you had modified certain system configuration files, the upgrader may ask whether you want to keep your version or install the package maintainer’s new version. One common example is /etc/resolv.conf or other resolver configs if you customized them. Read the prompts carefully; generally, if you haven’t made manual changes, you can accept the maintainer’s version. If you have custom configs (for networking, etc.), choose to keep yours, knowing you might need to adjust them for 24.04 after upgrade.
• Ubuntu 24.04 introduces some changes like moving Thunderbird email client to a Snap package (similar to how Firefox is a Snap). The upgrader may notify you that the deb package will be removed and replaced by a snap. Accept this, as it’s the standard in 24.04.
• If any application becomes unresponsive during the upgrade (perhaps showing a “Close or Wait?” dialog), choose “Wait” and give the upgrader time. The process can appear to hang at times, but unless you see a clear error, it’s best to be patient and let it continue.
• Obsolete Packages: After installing new packages, the tool will prompt you to remove obsolete packages – these are leftover packages from 22.04 that are no longer needed or have no equivalent in 24.04. For example, older libraries or tools that have been replaced. You’ll see a dialog “Remove obsolete packages?” listing how many packages can be removed (e.g. “67 packages are going to be removed”).
  

  Figure: The upgrader asks to remove obsolete packages – packages from the old release that are no longer needed. It’s usually safe (and recommended) to click Remove at this stage.

  
  

  It’s generally recommended to allow removal of these old packages, since they can clutter the system and might not receive updates. Click Remove to let the upgrader clean them up.

  
  
• Completion and Reboot: Once all packages are installed and cleaned up, you will receive a message that the upgrade is complete and a restart is required. The Software Updater GUI will display a dialog like “Restart the system to complete the upgrade”.
  

  Figure: After a successful upgrade, you’ll be prompted to Restart Now to complete the process. The new kernel and system will not be fully active until after the reboot.

  
  

  Click Restart Now. The system will reboot into your new Ubuntu 24.04 LTS installation. Note: The first boot after a major upgrade can be slightly slower as the system initializes new features, updates databases, and so on. This is normal – give it a bit of time to settle.

  
  

Step 4: Post-Reboot – Verification and Post-Upgrade Tasks

After the system comes back up, log in and verify the upgrade:

• Check OS Version: Open a terminal and run lsb_release -a or cat /etc/os-release to confirm that the OS is now Ubuntu 24.04 LTS. You can also check the GUI System Settings About page to see the new version. Ensure the kernel is updated (uname -r should show a kernel from 24.04’s series).
• Re-enable Necessary Repositories: Any third-party PPAs or external repositories were disabled during the upgrade. If you rely on some (for example, for specialized software), re-enable them via Software & Updates (they will be listed with a comment “disabled during upgrade” in the Other Software tab). Check the box to re-enable a source, then close the dialog and let it reload. Only re-enable sources that you know have support for Ubuntu 24.04. Run sudo apt update afterwards. If a PPA does not have a 24.04 repository, apt update will show errors (404 Not Found for “noble” release). In that case, you should untick or remove that source again to avoid errors.
• Verify Services and Applications: On a production server, confirm that critical services are running as expected post-upgrade. For example, ensure your web server, database, or application processes started properly on boot. Check configuration files for any changes (the upgrade might leave .dpkg-old or .dpkg-dist files if you kept old configs – review differences if needed). Monitor logs (/var/log/syslog or journal) for any warnings or errors introduced by the new version.
• Perform Cleanup: If you skipped removing obsolete packages earlier, you can do so now with sudo apt autoremove. Also, check for any .rpmsave or .dpkg-old files that may need attention. In general, if the upgrade completed successfully, minimal manual cleanup is needed beyond what the upgrader did.

That’s it for the GUI method. Your Ubuntu 22.04 desktop is now running Ubuntu 24.04 LTS!  You can enjoy the new features and improvements of Noble Numbat. Be sure to explore the system to catch any subtle issues, but if you prepared well, the upgrade should be largely seamless.

Method 2: CLI Upgrade (Server/Command-Line)

For servers (especially those without a GUI) or users who prefer the terminal, you can perform the release upgrade via command-line. This method uses the do-release-upgrade utility and is ideal for remote or headless systems, as well as cloud VMs. The end result is the same, but you’ll work in the terminal environment. Below are the steps:

Step 1: Prepare the System (Updates & Repos)

Many of the preparation steps are identical to the GUI method:

1. Backup important data and config files as discussed earlier. This is even more crucial on servers – ensure you have recent backups or snapshots.
2. Fully update Ubuntu 22.04 before upgrading. Run:

   sudo apt update && sudo apt full-upgrade
   sudo apt autoremove   # (optional, cleans up old packages)
   sudo reboot           # reboot if a kernel or core libraries were updated

Make sure the system comes back up cleanly after reboot and that you can reconnect (for remote systems).

3. Install the upgrader tool (if not already present): The package ubuntu-release-upgrader-core provides the do-release-upgrade command. It should be installed by default on Ubuntu, but verify with:

   sudo apt install ubuntu-release-upgrader-core

Also, double-check that the release upgrader is set to allow LTS upgrades. Open (or cat) the file /etc/update-manager/release-upgrades and look for the line Prompt=. It should be Prompt=lts for an LTS system. For example:

   $ grep Prompt= /etc/update-manager/release-upgrades
   Prompt=lts

If it says Prompt=never, change it to lts (or use your editor to change the file accordingly). This ensures the tool will consider new LTS releases. If it was Prompt=normal, it would look for any new release (including interim releases), but keeping it on LTS is recommended for servers.

4. Review third-party repositories: As noted, do-release-upgrade will disable PPAs by default. You don’t necessarily have to purge them manually (the tool comments them out in your sources), but it’s good to be aware of any critical software coming from a PPA. Some administrators prefer to remove or disable PPAs beforehand to avoid potential package conflicts. If any PPA provides essential functionality (like a newer PHP/Node.js, etc.), research if a 24.04 version is available or plan to add a replacement after upgrade. In any case, have your system as close to standard Ubuntu as possible for the smoothest results.

Step 2: Begin the Release Upgrade via CLI

Now you’re ready to start the distribution upgrade:

1. Initiate the Upgrade: Run the following command in a terminal (preferably on the system console or via a stable SSH session):

   sudo do-release-upgrade

If a new Ubuntu LTS is available, this command will find Ubuntu 24.04 and begin the upgrade process. You may see it first fetch some information and then prompt you to confirm moving to 24.04.

• If the tool reports “No new release found” and you’re certain 24.04.1 is already out, double-check that your Prompt=lts setting is correct and that you fully upgraded 22.04. If you’re running this very soon after 24.04’s release and it’s not enabled yet, you might need to wait for 24.04.1 or use the -d flag to force upgrade (not recommended on production systems). For example, sudo do-release-upgrade -d forces upgrading to the development release or the next available release, but use this with caution on critical machines. Assuming the official upgrade path is open, do-release-upgrade without -d is preferred.
• Remote SSH Note: If you run this over SSH, you will likely get a warning: “This session appears to be running under ssh. It is not recommended to perform an upgrade over ssh…” and it will offer to start an additional SSH daemon on a port (often 1022 or in the 9000 range). This is a safeguard so that if your primary SSH connection drops, you could reconnect to the temporary daemon. Ensure your firewall allows the fallback port, or consider using a tmux/screen session for the upgrade so you can reattach if disconnected. If possible, perform the upgrade from a local or virtual console. If not, type “Yes” to proceed over SSH when prompted, and note the fallback port.

1. Follow the Text Prompts: The CLI upgrader will essentially perform the same steps as the GUI but in text form:

• It will fetch the new package lists and show you the summary of how many packages will be installed, upgraded, and removed, along with the download size. It will ask for confirmation before proceeding. You’ll need to type y (and press Enter) to start the upgrade after reviewing the summary.
• The tool will then download packages. You will see lots of output as it fetches each file and prepares them. This can take a while.
• During the process, you might be prompted in the terminal about things like services restarting or configuration file changes:
  • For example, it might prompt: “Services that need to be restarted: … … Restart services during package upgrades without asking? [yes/no]”. It’s generally okay to say “yes” here so that services (like SSH, database, etc.) restart automatically when libraries update. On critical production systems, you might opt “no” if you plan to manually restart services at a controlled time, but that is rarely needed – automatic is fine.
  • If a package asks a debconf question (for instance, about keeping a modified config file), the terminal will show a diff or description and ask you (often with options to keep local version or install maintainer’s version). Respond based on your needs – if unsure, keeping your existing config is safer for services to continue running, and you can merge changes later.
  • Watch for any Y/n prompts. The upgrade will generally halt and wait for input at these points (so don’t start the upgrade and walk away entirely; check periodically in case it needs input).
• The upgrader will also disable third-party sources by commenting them out in your sources.list.d files (it usually notes this in the output). So you might see output lines indicating PPAs are being disabled.
• Eventually, it will reach the end of installation and prompt to remove obsolete packages (similar to the GUI). In the terminal, it might list them and ask [Y/n] if you want to remove them. Typing “y” is recommended here as well, to clean up.
• Finally, the tool will conclude by indicating the upgrade is complete and may prompt to reboot. In some cases it will ask “System upgrade is complete. Reboot now? [Y/n]”. If it does, type “y” to reboot. In other cases, it might simply finish at a shell prompt with a message that you should reboot to use the new system. Either way, plan to reboot manually if it doesn’t happen automatically:

   sudo reboot

Step 3: Post-Upgrade Checks (CLI)

After the server (or system) reboots into Ubuntu 24.04, perform similar verification steps:

• Login and Verify Version: Log in via SSH or console. Use lsb_release -d to check the description, or cat /etc/os-release, to confirm it says Ubuntu 24.04 LTS. Also verify the new kernel is active (uname -a).
• Check Services: Ensure all essential services are running. Since this is a production environment, carefully inspect your web server, application server, database, etc. If any service failed to start, use systemctl status <service> to see why. Sometimes services might fail due to configuration changes needed in the new OS (for example, maybe a PHP module name changed, etc.). Resolve any such issues or consult documentation for changes between 22.04 and 24.04 for those services.
• Re-enable/Update Repositories: Edit your /etc/apt/sources.list.d/*.list files or use software-properties-cli to re-enable any third-party repositories you need. They will have lines like # deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/... (disabled on upgrade to noble) which you can uncomment. However, before re-enabling, check if those repositories have “noble” (24.04) releases. If not, leaving them disabled is wise. After enabling the ones you want, run sudo apt update and watch for any 404 errors. If you see errors for a particular PPA, it likely doesn’t support 24.04 yet – you should disable it again to avoid apt errors.
• Perform a System Audit: This is a good time to review system logs (/var/log/apt/history.log for what was upgraded, and dmesg or journalctl -p 3 -xb for any errors on last boot). Ensure firewall (ufw/iptables) rules persisted, and that any scheduled tasks (cron, etc.) are still present. In rare cases, an upgrade might replace certain config files with defaults if you accepted maintainers’ versions – double-check critical configs (networking, etc.). Also verify any mount points (if you had custom fstab entries, ensure they are working).
• Test Functionality: Finally, test the actual functionality of your server or app. For example, if it’s a web server, try accessing the website. If it’s an API server, run some queries. On a file server, ensure shares are accessible, etc. Catching issues early allows you to fix configurations or install missing packages (maybe something didn’t carry over) before declaring the upgrade a success.

Special Considerations for Production Environments

Upgrading a production server or cloud VM has additional considerations beyond the basic steps:

• Staged Upgrades: If you have multiple servers (e.g., in a load-balanced setup), upgrade one at a time and verify it works before proceeding to the next. This limits impact and ensures you have a functional instance if something goes wrong on one.
• Maintenance Announcements: Communicate the planned downtime to users or stakeholders. Even if the upgrade is smooth, expect at least one reboot and possibly service restarts during the process.
• Roll-back Plan: In case the upgrade fails catastrophically (rare, but possible), have a roll-back strategy. This could be restoring from the snapshot you took, or quickly provisioning a new 22.04 VM from backup. With good backups, you won’t be stuck if the worst happens.
• Monitor After Upgrade: Keep a close eye on the system for the first days/week after upgrade. Watch logs for anything unusual. Sometimes subtle issues (like a deprecated config option causing a warning, or slightly higher resource usage) can be detected and tuned.
• Long-Term Support Horizon: Ubuntu 24.04 LTS will be supported for at least 5 years (and up to 10 years if you enable ESM or Ubuntu Pro features). Upgrading ensures you continue to get security updates and support. Plan your next upgrades accordingly, and consider testing future LTS releases in advance of their release.

Conclusion

Upgrading from Ubuntu 22.04 LTS to 24.04 LTS is a straightforward process if you prepare properly. We covered the graphical method ideal for desktops (with intuitive dialogs and a progress GUI) and the command-line method suited for servers. Key takeaways for a smooth upgrade include: back up first, fully update 22.04, disable or be mindful of third-party sources, and allocate a maintenance window for the upgrade and reboot. By following this guide, intermediate Linux users can confidently perform a release upgrade on important systems while minimizing risk.

Ubuntu 24.04 LTS “Noble Numbat” brings new features, updated packages, and extended support. Once your systems are upgraded and verified, you can enjoy these improvements and rest assured with continued support. As always, if you encounter issues, consult the Ubuntu community (forums, Ask Ubuntu, etc.) for troubleshooting tips.