Welcome to this detailed guide on how to upgrade from Ubuntu 22.04 to the latest version, Ubuntu 24.04. This tutorial is designed to provide clear instructions for users of all levels, ensuring a smooth upgrade process. Whether you are a beginner or an advanced user, you’ll find the necessary steps and commands to successfully upgrade your Ubuntu system.

In this tutorial you will learn:

• How to prepare your system for the upgrade
• Step-by-step instructions for upgrading to Ubuntu 24.04
• Troubleshooting common upgrade issues

Preparing Your System for Upgrade

Before initiating the upgrade process, it’s crucial to ensure that your current system is fully updated. This step minimizes the risk of conflicts and errors during the upgrade.

1. Checking for Upgradable Packages: The sudo apt list --upgradable command is essential before upgrading your system as it identifies packages that need updates. This helps you understand upcoming changes and address potential conflicts. By updating these packages before a major system upgrade, such as from Ubuntu 22.04 to 24.04, you enhance system stability and reduce upgrade risks, ensuring a smoother transition. Example:$ sudo apt list –upgradable
2. Updating and Upgrading Current Packages: First, update your system’s package list to refresh available packages and versions. This doesn’t install anything yet. Then, upgrade your installed packages, which installs their latest versions based on this updated list. This is vital for your system’s security and performance, keeping your software current:$ sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
3. Rebooting Your System
   It’s a good practice to reboot your system after significant updates, ensuring all changes are applied:$ sudo reboot
4. (optional) Check your current system version: This is a optional step of the upgrade process. Here we just confirm our current Ubuntu version.$ lsb_release -a
5. Open TCP Port 1022 for SSH Upgrade: When upgrading your Ubuntu system via SSH, it’s important to open an additional SSH port as a precaution. The upgrade tool will use TCP port 1022 as a fallback. This step is crucial in case your SSH connection on the standard port 22 gets disrupted during the upgrade process. By having port 1022 open, you ensure a stable and secure connection throughout the upgrade.$ sudo ufw allow 1022/tcp
6. Installing Update Manager Core
   Once your system is updated, you can proceed with the upgrade to Ubuntu 24.04.  The command sudo apt install update-manager-core below ensures that the update-manager-core package is installed on your system. This package is essential for managing the distribution upgrades in Ubuntu, as it contains the necessary tools and resources to upgrade your system to a new release. Installing or verifying the installation of update-manager-core is a critical step in preparing your system for a smooth and successful upgrade process:$ sudo apt install update-manager-corehttps://8d67d0c33652b75d6730e042ee772050.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-40/html/container.html
7. Initiating the Upgrade
   Begin the upgrade process using the specified command. When performing this upgrade, it’s important to note the use of the -d option. This option is particularly necessary if you’re upgrading to a version that hasn’t been officially released yet. It allows you to access and install the development version or a pre-release of the software. This can be useful for testing new features in advance, but be aware that pre-release versions may not be as stable as the official releases.:$ sudo do-release-upgradeHandling ‘No New Release Found’ error message.If the system doesn’t find a new release, you can force the upgrade with:$ sudo do-release-upgrade -dBegin the Ubuntu upgrade to 24.04 processReview the upgrade information and confirm Ubuntu upgrade y:Confirm to proceed with the Ubuntu upgradeRemove obsolete packages as they has been upgraded to the latest version:Remove obsolete packagesAfter successful Ubuntu upgrade you should see the following message confirming the reboot to new Ubuntu 24.04 system:Ubuntu upgrade to 22.04 successful
8. Confirm Ubuntu upgrade. As a last upgrade step confirm that your Ubuntu system has been upgraded to the latest version 24.04. To do so run:$ lsb_release -aYour Ubuntu version after upgrade should be 24.04https://8d67d0c33652b75d6730e042ee772050.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-40/html/container.html
9. Block the previously oppend port: Lastly close the previously opened block 1022 in step 5:$ ufw delete allow 1022/tcp

Troubleshooting

In some cases, the upgrade process might encounter issues related to repository or package dependencies. Here’s how to resolve a common issue where the upgrade process gets stuck.
Resolving Upgrade Stuck Issue
If the upgrade process is stuck, particularly at ‘Updating repository information’, disable IPv6 temporarily:

$ sudo sysctl -w net.ipv6.conf.all.disable_ipv6=1
$ sudo sysctl -w net.ipv6.conf.default.disable_ipv6=1

Conclusion

Upgrading to Ubuntu 24.04 can significantly enhance your system with the latest features and security updates. By following the steps outlined in this tutorial, you can ensure a smooth and successful upgrade process. Remember to always back up your important data before starting any major system upgrade.

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