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What the upgrade path looks like
Ubuntu gates upgrades between LTS releases until the newer LTS has its first point release. In the current cycle, Ubuntu 26.04 LTS (codename Resolute Raccoon) arrived in April 2026, while Ubuntu 26.04.1 LTS was released on 27 August 2026. The supported path for an Ubuntu 24.04 LTS server is therefore the 24.04-to-26.04.1 upgrade, not an attempt to jump to an unrevised 26.04 image.
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Canonical announced that 24.04 systems would begin receiving the 26.04.1 offer through Update Manager a couple of weeks after the point release. Availability was staggered, and a September 2026 report described the offer becoming broadly visible later that month. The date printed on an ISO and the date on which an online upgrade is enabled are different events. If your server does not offer 26.04.1 immediately, check timing and the server’s release-prompt setting before trying workarounds.
| Release | Relevant date | Meaning for an upgrade |
|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | Current source release | Bring it completely up to date before starting. |
| Ubuntu 26.04 LTS | April 2026 | Initial LTS release; LTS-to-LTS offers are gated until the first point release. |
| Ubuntu 26.04.1 LTS | 27 August 2026 | First point release and the normal target for an online 24.04 LTS upgrade. |
Check Ubuntu’s release-cycle information before choosing a maintenance date. It is the authoritative place to verify support windows; the exact end dates are not reproduced here because they vary by release and support channel.
Decide whether this server is ready
Identify the source release and workload
Record the current release, kernel, architecture, installed services, listening ports, scheduled jobs, and storage layout. These notes give you a baseline for post-upgrade checks and help another administrator recover the machine if the change has to be paused.
lsb_release -a
uname -a
systemctl --type=service --state=running
ss -tulpn
df -hT
Pay particular attention to databases, web servers, container runtimes, firewall rules, mounted data volumes, custom systemd units, and applications installed outside Ubuntu’s repositories. An LTS upgrade preserves package data in the normal case, but it can replace configuration files, disable external repositories, and require service-specific migration work.
Arrange a recovery channel
Do not make an SSH-only server your sole point of access. Arrange a provider console, KVM, serial console, physical console, or another out-of-band method that remains available if networking restarts or the SSH daemon is temporarily unavailable. The upgrader may restart services and reboot the machine; a dropped SSH connection is not proof that the upgrade failed.
Schedule a maintenance window
Estimate the interruption from the server’s package count, disk speed, and services, then allow additional time for reboots and validation. Stop or drain applications using their documented procedures rather than killing processes abruptly. If the host serves a cluster, remove it from rotation before changing it and return it only after health checks pass.
Back up what you must be able to restore
An upgrade is not a backup strategy. Keep at least one copy that is separate from the server and verify that it can be read. The minimum useful set is:
- Configuration: copy
/etc, including systemd units, SSH configuration, firewall rules, package repository definitions, and application settings. - Users and application data: back up
/homeand every application data directory, including data on separately mounted volumes. - Databases: create native logical dumps and retain the database files or snapshots required by your recovery design. A filesystem copy made while a database is writing is not automatically a consistent backup.
- Package and repository information: save the output of
apt-mark showmanual, the contents of/etc/apt/sources.listand/etc/apt/sources.list.d/, and a list of enabled services. - Virtual-machine or storage snapshot: when your platform supports a tested snapshot or image rollback, take one immediately before the maintenance window.
Test a small restore before the upgrade and document where the recovery media and credentials are stored. A backup that exists but cannot be accessed during an outage does not provide a practical rollback.
Prepare Ubuntu 24.04 before invoking the upgrader
1. Update package metadata and packages
Log in with an account that can use sudo, then run:
sudo apt update
sudo apt full-upgrade
Read the result instead of accepting a command that leaves held or broken packages. If the command reports unresolved dependencies, repair those first and repeat the update. If a kernel, libc, init system, or other boot-critical package changed, reboot into the new state and reconnect before continuing:
sudo reboot
After reconnecting, confirm that the machine is still on Ubuntu 24.04 and that essential services are healthy. Starting a release upgrade with pending updates makes it harder to tell whether a failure belongs to the normal update or the distribution transition.
2. Confirm the release-upgrader package
The command is supplied by Ubuntu’s ubuntu-release-upgrader-core package. Install or refresh it if necessary:
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Inspect the prompt policy:
grep -E '^[[:space:]]*Prompt=' /etc/update-manager/release-upgrades
For an LTS-to-LTS migration, the setting must permit LTS prompts, normally Prompt=lts. A value of Prompt=never intentionally suppresses release offers. Change it with an editor only if that is your policy and you have a scheduled upgrade:
sudoedit /etc/update-manager/release-upgrades
3. Check storage and mounts
Use df -hT and inspect the root filesystem, /boot if it is separate, and any filesystem where package caches or temporary files live. Published third-party guidance disagrees about the minimum free space, so do not rely on a single number: leave a generous margin, remove only files you have identified as disposable, and follow the upgrader’s own space check. Never delete unknown files from /var/lib or database directories to make room.
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4. Record external repositories and packages
Third-party repositories and locally installed packages can block dependency resolution. Save their definitions and identify which applications depend on them. The upgrader may disable external entries while it changes the Ubuntu release; that is a safety measure, not an indication that the repository is compatible with 26.04.1.
Do not pre-emptively replace repository URLs with guessed 26.04 names. Wait until the upgrade completes, then obtain versions explicitly supported by each vendor and enable them one at a time.
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Run the upgrade inside tmux or screen so a laptop sleep, network interruption, or terminal closure does not destroy your view of the process:
tmux new -s ubuntu-upgrade
If the connection drops, reconnect and run tmux attach -t ubuntu-upgrade. Do not start a second upgrader while the first one may still be running.
Run the LTS upgrade
- From the persistent session, make one final check that backups exist, the maintenance window is open, and no critical job is writing data.
- Start the release upgrader:
sudo do-release-upgrade
- Read the pre-upgrade summary. It should identify Ubuntu 26.04.1 LTS as the target once the offer is enabled for your system. If it reports that no new release is available, stop and use the troubleshooting section rather than forcing a development-release path on a production server.
- Review proposed package removals, replacements, and disabled repositories. A removal that would take out a required service is a reason to cancel and investigate, not to approve blindly.
- When asked about configuration files that you changed locally, compare the old and new versions. Keep the working configuration only when it remains valid for the new package; otherwise save both and merge the required directives deliberately.
- Allow the upgrader to complete package downloads, unpacking, configuration, and cleanup. Do not close the terminal, cut power, or reboot manually while it is working. The duration depends on download speed, mirror availability, package count, and disk performance.
- Accept the reboot only after the upgrader says the release transition is complete. If it offers to remove obsolete packages, record the list and defer removal when you need additional recovery options.
The upgrader may restart networking, SSH, or other daemons. The auxiliary SSH service on port 1022 sometimes mentioned in older guides is not a facility you should assume exists; rely on the current upgrader output and your out-of-band console instead.
Validate the server after reboot
Confirm release identity and package state
lsb_release -a
cat /etc/os-release
uname -r
sudo apt update
sudo apt full-upgrade
Confirm that the release reports 26.04.1 LTS (or the intended newer LTS), that no interrupted package configuration remains, and that the package manager can update normally. If apt reports an unfinished configuration, follow its exact repair message and do not start unrelated package changes at the same time.
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systemctl --failed
systemctl --type=service --state=running
journalctl -b -p warning
ss -tulpn
Test the application from the same network paths your users or game servers use: authentication, DNS, TLS certificates, storage mounts, scheduled jobs, queues, and database connections. Compare listening ports and service status with the pre-upgrade inventory. Re-enable a disabled external repository only after confirming that it publishes packages for the new Ubuntu release, and do so individually so a problem can be attributed to one source.
Clean up only after the observation period
Keep the pre-upgrade backup and, where available, the snapshot until the server has passed your normal monitoring period. Remove obsolete packages and old kernels only after you know which kernel successfully booted and have confirmed that the services remain healthy through a second restart or planned failover.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why 26.04.1 may not appear
The offer has not reached your system
Canonical’s rollout was delayed after the 27 August point-release publication and was staggered while planned backports addressed regressions in rust-coreutils. A server checked immediately after the ISO release could therefore receive “no new release” even though 26.04.1 existed. Check again after the rollout window and verify the release-cycle status before changing configuration.
The prompt policy suppresses LTS upgrades
Recheck /etc/update-manager/release-upgrades. Prompt=never disables offers; a policy that accepts only normal releases will not produce the expected LTS transition. Correct the policy, run sudo apt update, and retry during the approved window.
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The source system is not fully updated
Complete apt update and apt full-upgrade, resolve held packages, reboot when boot components changed, and then run the release upgrader again. An incomplete 24.04 package state can prevent a clean target calculation.
Repositories or dependencies block the calculation
Read the upgrader’s package conflict report. Do not delete packages simply to make the dialog disappear. Identify which external source or pinned package caused the conflict, use the vendor’s supported 26.04.1 package where one exists, or temporarily remove the dependency only after confirming that the application can be restored from your backup.
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Disk space is insufficient
Use the exact filesystem named by the error, not just the total capacity of another mount. Expand the filesystem, move a known-safe cache, or reschedule with a larger host. Keep logs and backups until recovery is no longer needed; deleting them can remove the evidence required to diagnose a failed upgrade.
The SSH session disappeared
Reconnect through the console and inspect the existing tmux or screen session. Check whether package processes are still active and review the boot journal after a reboot. Never launch a second do-release-upgrade until you have established whether the first process completed.
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Can an LTS upgrade preserve data?
The normal in-place process is designed to retain user data and installed services, but “without losing data” is a recovery objective, not a guarantee that every configuration remains unchanged. Package defaults can change, external repositories can be disabled, and an application may require a database or configuration migration. The practical safeguards are a tested backup, an out-of-band console, a maintenance window, and a documented restore or snapshot procedure.
If the server is business-critical and downtime or rollback risk is unacceptable, build a parallel 26.04.1 host, restore the application and database backups, validate it, and switch traffic using your existing DNS, load-balancer, or cluster process. That approach takes more preparation but leaves the 24.04 machine intact while you test the new environment.
Production readiness checklist
- The source release is Ubuntu 24.04 LTS and the target offer is 26.04.1 LTS or a later approved LTS point release.
- Ubuntu’s release-cycle page confirms that both releases have the support status your policy requires.
/etc,/home, application data, and database backups have been completed and a restore has been tested.- Out-of-band console access works, credentials are available, and the maintenance window covers possible reboots.
apt updateandapt full-upgradefinish without unresolved dependencies or held critical packages.- The release-upgrader package is installed and
Prompt=lts(notPrompt=never) matches your policy. - Root,
/boot, and package-cache filesystems have ample free space according to the upgrader’s check. - External repositories, locally installed packages, service owners, and rollback steps are documented.
- The command will run inside
tmuxorscreen, and no one will interrupt power or start a second upgrader. - After reboot, release identity, package state, failed units, ports, mounts, databases, and application health will be tested before traffic is restored.
For the current 24.04-to-26.04 transition, waiting for the 26.04.1 gate and following this controlled procedure is safer than forcing an early development upgrade. Once the server passes the post-reboot checks and the observation period, remove obsolete packages and re-enable compatible third-party sources deliberately.
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