Ubuntu 24.04 “Noble Numbat” (not Jammy Jellyfish, which was 22.04) brings substantial improvements to server environments including enhanced security features, updated kernel support, and better hardware compatibility. This upgrade is crucial for maintaining supported systems, accessing latest security patches, and leveraging improved performance optimizations. You’ll learn the complete upgrade process, from pre-upgrade preparation through post-upgrade verification, including troubleshooting common issues that can derail the process.

How Ubuntu Version Upgrades Work

Ubuntu’s upgrade mechanism relies on the do-release-upgrade tool, which systematically updates package sources, resolves dependencies, and migrates configuration files. The process modifies /etc/apt/sources.list to point to new repositories, performs a comprehensive package upgrade, and handles kernel transitions.

The upgrade operates in several phases: preparation checks, package list updates, dependency resolution, package downloads, installation, and cleanup. During this process, the system maintains a recovery mechanism through dpkg logs and configuration backups stored in /etc/apt/trusted.gpg.d/ and various .dist files.

Pre-Upgrade System Assessment

Before starting the upgrade, verify your current system status and create recovery points. This preparation phase prevents most upgrade failures.

# Check current Ubuntu version
lsb_release -a

# Verify system architecture
uname -m

# Check available disk space (need at least 5GB free)
df -h /

# List installed PPAs that might cause conflicts
grep -r "ppa" /etc/apt/sources.list.d/

# Check for held packages
apt-mark showhold

# Verify system integrity
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade
sudo apt autoremove && sudo apt autoclean

Create a complete system backup before proceeding. For servers, this includes both data and configuration:

# Backup critical directories
sudo tar -czf /backup/etc-backup-$(date +%Y%m%d).tar.gz /etc
sudo tar -czf /backup/home-backup-$(date +%Y%m%d).tar.gz /home

# Database backup (if applicable)
sudo mysqldump --all-databases > /backup/mysql-backup-$(date +%Y%m%d).sql

# Document installed packages
dpkg --get-selections > /backup/package-list-$(date +%Y%m%d).txt

Step-by-Step Upgrade Implementation

The upgrade process requires careful execution in the correct sequence. Use a terminal multiplexer like tmux or screen to prevent SSH disconnections from interrupting the upgrade.

# Start a tmux session for upgrade safety
tmux new-session -s ubuntu-upgrade

# Update package manager and upgrade current packages
sudo apt update && sudo apt full-upgrade -y

# Install update-manager-core if not present
sudo apt install update-manager-core -y

# Configure release upgrader for LTS releases
sudo sed -i 's/Prompt=.*/Prompt=lts/' /etc/update-manager/release-upgrades

# Initiate the upgrade process
sudo do-release-upgrade

During the upgrade, you’ll encounter several prompts requiring decisions:

• Configuration file conflicts: Choose “install package maintainer’s version” for system files unless you have specific customizations
• Service restarts: Allow automatic restart of services during upgrade
• SSH daemon configuration: Keep your current SSH configuration if you’ve customized it
• Kernel upgrades: Accept new kernel installations and allow bootloader updates

For non-interactive upgrades (useful for scripted deployments), use the frontend override:

# Non-interactive upgrade (use with caution)
sudo DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive do-release-upgrade -f DistUpgradeViewNonInteractive

Real-World Upgrade Scenarios and Examples

Different server configurations require specific considerations during upgrades. Here are common scenarios and their solutions:

Web Server with Custom PHP Configuration

# Before upgrade: backup PHP configurations
sudo cp -r /etc/php /backup/php-config-backup

# After upgrade: verify PHP version and restore custom settings
php -v
sudo systemctl status apache2 nginx php8.3-fpm

# Update PHP-FPM pool configurations if needed
sudo nano /etc/php/8.3/fpm/pool.d/www.conf

Database Server Upgrade

# MySQL/MariaDB considerations
sudo systemctl stop mysql
sudo apt upgrade mysql-server
sudo mysql_upgrade
sudo systemctl start mysql

# PostgreSQL version handling
sudo pg_dropcluster --stop 16 main
sudo pg_upgradecluster 14 main

Docker Environment Migration

# Verify Docker compatibility after upgrade
docker --version
sudo systemctl status docker

# Update Docker repository if needed
curl -fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu/gpg | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /usr/share/keyrings/docker-archive-keyring.gpg

Common Issues and Troubleshooting

Upgrade failures typically stem from package conflicts, insufficient disk space, or custom repository issues. Here’s how to handle the most frequent problems:

Issue	Symptoms	Solution
Package conflicts	dpkg errors, broken dependencies	sudo apt --fix-broken install
Disk space shortage	No space left on device	sudo apt autoremove && sudo apt autoclean
PPA compatibility	Repository errors during upgrade	Disable PPAs temporarily in sources.list.d/
Network interruption	Partially downloaded packages	sudo dpkg --configure -a && sudo apt --fix-broken install

When upgrades fail mid-process, recovery involves completing the interrupted installation:

# Recover from interrupted upgrade
sudo dpkg --configure -a
sudo apt --fix-broken install
sudo apt update && sudo apt full-upgrade
sudo do-release-upgrade --continue

# If bootloader issues occur
sudo update-grub
sudo grub-install /dev/sda  # adjust device as needed

Post-Upgrade Verification and Optimization

After successful upgrade, verify system functionality and optimize the new installation:

# Verify upgrade success
lsb_release -a
uname -r

# Check system services
sudo systemctl list-failed
sudo systemctl status

# Verify network configuration
ip addr show
sudo systemctl status networking

# Check filesystem integrity
sudo fsck -f /
sudo tune2fs -l /dev/sda1 | grep "Last checked"

# Update locate database
sudo updatedb

# Clean up old kernels and orphaned packages
sudo apt autoremove --purge
sudo apt autoclean

Performance optimization for Ubuntu 24.04 includes enabling new features:

# Enable systemd-oomd for better memory management
sudo systemctl enable systemd-oomd

# Configure new security features
sudo systemctl enable apparmor
sudo aa-status

# Update firewall rules if needed
sudo ufw status

Version Comparison and New Features

Ubuntu 24.04 introduces significant improvements over previous LTS releases:

Feature	Ubuntu 22.04	Ubuntu 24.04	Impact
Kernel Version	5.15 LTS	6.8	Better hardware support, improved performance
PHP Version	8.1	8.3	Enhanced performance, new language features
Python Version	3.10	3.12	Improved performance, better error messages
Security	AppArmor 3.0	AppArmor 4.0	Enhanced container security

Best Practices and Security Considerations

Implement these practices to maintain system security and stability post-upgrade:

• Enable automatic security updates: sudo dpkg-reconfigure unattended-upgrades
• Configure proper log rotation to handle increased logging in newer systemd versions
• Review and update SSH configurations for enhanced security features
• Implement proper backup strategies using new snapshot capabilities
• Monitor system performance using improved built-in tools

# Configure automatic security updates
echo 'Unattended-Upgrade::Automatic-Reboot "false";' | sudo tee -a /etc/apt/apt.conf.d/50unattended-upgrades

# Set up system monitoring
sudo systemctl enable systemd-resolved
sudo systemctl enable systemd-timesyncd

# Configure log management
sudo journalctl --vacuum-time=30d
echo 'SystemMaxUse=1G' | sudo tee -a /etc/systemd/journald.conf

For production environments, implement a staged rollout approach: upgrade development systems first, then staging, and finally production servers. This methodology helps identify environment-specific issues before they impact critical systems.

Consider using configuration management tools like Ansible or Puppet to standardize the upgrade process across multiple servers. This approach ensures consistency and reduces manual intervention errors.

The upgrade to Ubuntu 24.04 provides a solid foundation for modern server workloads, offering improved security, better performance, and extended support through 2029. Regular maintenance and monitoring will help maximize the benefits of this robust LTS release.

For detailed information about Ubuntu 24.04 features and official upgrade documentation, refer to the Ubuntu 24.04 Release Notes and the official Ubuntu upgrade guide.

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