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For an Ubuntu 24.04 LTS server, the supported path to the current LTS is 26.04.1 LTS, released on 27 August 2026. Once the upgrade is offered to your system, bring 24.04 fully up to date, create tested backups, secure out-of-band console access, and run sudo do-release-upgrade inside tmux or screen. Do not use the development-release -d switch for this production upgrade.

Which Ubuntu LTS release can you upgrade to?

Ubuntu LTS-to-LTS upgrades are gated until the first point release of the newer LTS. Ubuntu 26.04 LTS, codenamed Resolute Raccoon, arrived in April 2026, but the LTS upgrade path opened with 26.04.1 on 27 August 2026. The release list and the 26.04.1 announcement use 27 August as the release date.

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Ubuntu said that 24.04 users would be offered the upgrade through Update Manager a couple of weeks after 26.04.1. The delay allowed planned backports for regressions in rust-coreutils. Availability was staggered, and reports in September 2026 confirmed that the 24.04-to-26.04.1 upgrade was then being enabled. The date an ISO is published is therefore not necessarily the date every server is offered an upgrade.

Current system Target What to expect
Ubuntu 24.04 LTS Ubuntu 26.04.1 LTS The normal LTS-to-LTS path once the staged offer reaches your machine.
Ubuntu 24.04 LTS before 26.04.1 was released Ubuntu 26.04 LTS The ordinary LTS prompt was not yet available; wait for the first point release rather than forcing a development upgrade.
Any other Ubuntu release A newer LTS Check the release notes and supported upgrade sequence for that starting version. Do not assume a cross-release jump is valid merely because both releases are LTS.

Before scheduling production work, check Ubuntu’s release-cycle page for the current support windows. The standard support dates for 24.04 and 26.04 are not reproduced here, so use that authoritative page rather than relying on an old blog post.

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What an in-place server upgrade changes

do-release-upgrade changes the operating-system release in place. It refreshes Ubuntu packages, resolves dependencies, updates boot and service files, and may ask how to handle locally modified configuration files. Your normal files and installed services are intended to remain on the machine, but an in-place upgrade is not a backup and it is not a transaction you can safely undo with one command.

  • Expect service restarts and a reboot. Plan a maintenance window long enough to test the applications that matter to you.
  • Third-party repositories may be disabled automatically because their packages are not known to be compatible with the target release.
  • Locally edited files under /etc can produce conffile prompts. Keep a record of important customisations so you can compare the old and new versions.
  • An SSH connection can disappear during network, OpenSSH, kernel, or service changes. An interrupted terminal must not be allowed to become your only recovery path.

No published success-rate statistic or server-count figure establishes how often these upgrades succeed. Treat the procedure as controlled maintenance, not as a guaranteed no-downtime operation.

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Pre-upgrade checklist for a production server

Schedule a maintenance window

Choose a period when a reboot and a temporary service outage are acceptable. Notify application owners, identify the person who can approve a rollback or restore, and record the current server address, hostname, firewall rules, service list, and monitoring alerts. If the server is part of a cluster, confirm that traffic can be drained or failed over before starting.

Keep a recovery console available

Before connecting over SSH, verify access to a cloud serial console, virtual-machine console, hosting-panel console, KVM, or another out-of-band channel. Test that it can log in with an administrator account and that you know how to reboot the instance from it. One third-party guide mentions an auxiliary SSH daemon on port 1022, but that behavior is not verified here; do not depend on that port unless the current upgrader output and your own platform documentation confirm it.

Back up the operating-system configuration

At minimum, preserve /etc and the data in /home that the server actually uses. Store the backup away from the machine and verify that it can be read. A snapshot is useful for a fast infrastructure rollback, but it should supplement, not replace, application-aware backups.

  • Export each database with its native backup method and test restoring a recent dump on a separate system.
  • Back up web-server virtual-host files, TLS certificates and renewal configuration, queue data, application environment files, cron jobs, systemd unit overrides, and firewall rules when those items are part of the service.
  • Record package selections and enabled services so you can detect anything that did not return after the reboot.

A backup that has never been restored is an assumption, not a recovery plan. Confirm the backup location, permissions, encryption keys, and approximate restore time before you touch the release.

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Check capacity and health

Free space requirements quoted by third-party guides differ, with figures of 5 GB and 15 GB on the root filesystem. Neither figure is confirmed as a universal Canonical requirement. Plan for the larger 15 GB margin where possible, then follow the upgrader’s own capacity check. Also verify that the filesystem is writable, there is no failing storage alert, and logs are not consuming the root partition.

df -h /
df -h /var /boot
sudo du -xhd1 /var 2>/dev/null | sort -h

Do not delete package data or logs blindly to make room. Remove only files you understand, and preserve the backups and logs needed for troubleshooting.

Bring Ubuntu 24.04 fully up to date

Run the preparation from a root shell or prefix each command with sudo. Finish ordinary package updates before asking the release upgrader to change releases.

  1. Refresh package indexes.
    sudo apt update
  2. Install all available updates, including dependency changes.
    sudo apt full-upgrade
  3. Review held or broken packages. Resolve any package-manager error before continuing. A release upgrade should not begin while apt is reporting an unfinished configuration or broken dependency.
  4. Reboot if the update installed a kernel, init system, or other component that requires it.
    sudo reboot
  5. Reconnect and confirm the machine is healthy. Check that expected network interfaces, mounts, storage, and critical services are operating before starting the release change.

Run these commands from the maintenance window, not hours or days before it, so that the checks and the release transition reflect the same system state.

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Check the release-upgrader configuration

The package that supplies the command is normally installed on a server, but you can explicitly ensure it is present:

sudo apt install ubuntu-release-upgrader-core

Open /etc/update-manager/release-upgrades and inspect the Prompt line:

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sudo nano /etc/update-manager/release-upgrades

For an LTS-only policy, use the LTS prompt setting supported by your installed Ubuntu release. The important check is that the file is not set to Prompt=never; that value suppresses normal release notifications and can make a valid upgrade appear unavailable. If your organisation intentionally pins a different policy, document it and change it back only after the upgrade decision is complete.

Run the upgrade safely over SSH

A terminal multiplexer keeps the process attached to the server if your local network drops. Start one before invoking the upgrader:

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tmux new -s ubuntu-upgrade

If tmux is not installed, use screen instead. The following procedure reflects the sequence described by established third-party Ubuntu administration guides; check the release notes shown by the upgrader and the target release documentation for any version-specific change.

  1. From the multiplexer session, confirm you are on the intended host and that you have the recovery console open in another window.
  2. Start the release check and upgrade:
    sudo do-release-upgrade
  3. Read the proposed package removals, installations, disk-space calculation, and service-impact warnings. Stop if an essential package is slated for removal or if the calculated changes do not match your maintenance plan.
  4. Answer configuration-file questions deliberately. Keep a known-good local file when it contains required site-specific settings; review the package maintainer’s version afterward rather than accepting prompts mechanically.
  5. Allow the upgrader to finish. Do not close the terminal, kill the process, power off the host, or start a second package manager while it is changing packages.
  6. When prompted, reboot. If the SSH session ends, reconnect through the multiplexer or the out-of-band console and wait for the host to finish booting.

Do not add -d to force a development release. That workaround was discussed by some guides before the first point release, but it was not verified as an official production path and is unnecessary for the 26.04.1 LTS upgrade now that the point release exists.

What to do when the upgrade is not offered

“No new release found” immediately after 26.04.1

Publication of the 26.04.1 image on 27 August did not switch every 24.04 server at the same instant. Ubuntu announced a delay of roughly a couple of weeks for planned regression backports, and the offer was staged. Reports later in September said the 24.04-to-26.04.1 path was live. Update the current release first, confirm that Prompt is not never, and try again after the staged rollout reaches your system.

The server is on a non-LTS or unsupported starting release

Do not force a direct jump based only on the desired destination. Use the release notes for the installed release to determine the supported sequence, and plan intermediate upgrades or a fresh deployment when that is safer. The fact that 26.04.1 is an LTS does not make every older release-to-26.04 path valid.

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Package indexes or repositories fail

Fix ordinary apt update errors before launching do-release-upgrade. Check DNS, proxy settings, clock synchronization, repository signatures, and available disk space. Remove or correct stale entries rather than repeatedly retrying the release upgrader with a broken package source.

A third-party repository is disabled

This is expected behavior during many distribution upgrades. Do not re-enable every old repository at once. First complete the reboot and validate the base system. Then check whether each repository publishes packages for 26.04, add the correct target-release entry, update package indexes, and re-enable repositories one at a time. If a vendor has not published a compatible repository, keep it disabled and use the Ubuntu package or a documented alternative until compatibility is established.

Validate the server after the reboot

Validation should be explicit and application-focused, not limited to checking that SSH accepts a connection.

  1. Confirm the release identity.
    cat /etc/os-release
    Confirm that the reported release is the intended 26.04 series before making further changes.
  2. Finish package configuration and look for broken dependencies.
    sudo dpkg --configure -a
    sudo apt -f install
    Use these only when the package manager indicates unfinished work; review proposed changes before accepting them.
  3. Refresh packages for the new release.
    sudo apt update
    sudo apt full-upgrade
  4. Inspect failed services.
    systemctl --failed
    For each failed unit, read its status and journal rather than restarting it repeatedly.
  5. Check core server functions. Test network routes, mounted filesystems, firewall behavior, scheduled jobs, time synchronization, logging, monitoring, backup agents, and certificate renewal.
  6. Test the applications that use real traffic. Exercise web endpoints, authentication, queues, databases, storage paths, and any API integrations. Confirm permissions and service accounts, because package or configuration changes can expose problems that a simple process-status check misses.

Keep the pre-upgrade backup and console access available until these tests pass and the normal backup job has completed successfully on the new release.

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Reconcile configuration and repositories

Review conffile decisions

Compare important files in /etc with the versions saved before the upgrade. Pay particular attention to SSH access, network configuration, firewall rules, web-server sites, database settings, log rotation, systemd overrides, and scheduled tasks. A service can be active while silently using a default configuration instead of your site-specific one.

Restore only compatible external software

Third-party repositories and locally installed packages can be the source of a successful-looking upgrade that fails later. For each external source, verify 26.04 support, update its signing-key configuration according to the publisher’s current instructions, and reinstall or upgrade the package only after the base system is stable. Keep a written list of anything intentionally left disabled.

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Remove obsolete packages carefully

The upgrader may identify packages that are no longer required. Review the list and service dependencies before removing anything. On a production server, an apparently unused package may provide a plugin, command-line client, agent, or compatibility library used by a deployment script.

Downtime, data safety, and rollback planning

An in-place LTS upgrade can preserve data, but “without losing data” should mean “with a tested recovery plan,” not “without taking backups.” The upgrade modifies the package database, boot environment, libraries, services, and configuration files in one operation. A power failure, storage problem, incompatible external package, or unresolved configuration conflict can leave the system needing console repair.

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  • Use an application-consistent database backup, not merely a copy of a live database directory.
  • Keep a separate copy of critical files and the credentials required to decrypt or restore them.
  • For virtual machines, confirm whether a snapshot can be restored safely and how long that restore takes. A snapshot is not a substitute for a backup that survives host or storage failure.
  • Document the rebuild path. If restoration is faster and safer than repairing a partially upgraded host, redeploy from a known image and restore the data.
  • Do not promise zero downtime. Even a clean upgrade requires package restarts and normally a reboot.

A concise runbook for Ubuntu 24.04 to 26.04.1

  1. Check the Ubuntu release-cycle information and confirm that 26.04.1 is the target you intend to run.
  2. Book maintenance time, notify users, and test an out-of-band console.
  3. Back up /etc, relevant /home data, databases, application data, certificates, and service configuration; verify the backups.
  4. Reserve practical root-filesystem capacity. Because published third-party figures differ, aim for the larger 15 GB margin when possible and obey the upgrader’s own check.
  5. Run sudo apt update, sudo apt full-upgrade, and a reboot if kernel or core init packages changed.
  6. Install ubuntu-release-upgrader-core if necessary and make sure /etc/update-manager/release-upgrades is not Prompt=never.
  7. Start tmux or screen, then run sudo do-release-upgrade.
  8. Read every proposed change, handle configuration prompts intentionally, and let the process finish without interruption.
  9. Reboot, verify /etc/os-release, repair only the package-manager issues reported by the system, and inspect failed services.
  10. Test applications, review configuration files, and re-enable compatible third-party repositories one at a time.

This sequence is a practical administration runbook, while the target release’s notes remain the authority for release-specific changes and known issues. If the upgrader presents a warning that conflicts with this generic sequence, follow the warning and investigate before proceeding.

When a fresh deployment is safer

An in-place upgrade is convenient when the server has a manageable configuration and a tested restore path. A fresh 26.04.1 deployment may be safer when the host has years of manual changes, unsupported packages, undocumented repositories, a nearly full root filesystem, failing storage, or no reliable console. Build the new host, restore application data, validate it, and switch traffic using your normal migration method. That approach requires more planning but gives you a clean rollback: leave the old host untouched until the new one has passed acceptance tests.

For a small, well-documented server with verified backups and console access, do-release-upgrade can reduce migration work. For a critical, heavily customised system, compare the time needed to repair an in-place failure with the time needed to build and test a replacement before choosing the method.

Common mistakes to avoid

  • Starting before the first point release and forcing a development upgrade with -d.
  • Running the operation in a plain SSH terminal with no multiplexer or alternate console.
  • Skipping database exports because the filesystem backup “should” be enough.
  • Beginning with held, broken, or partially configured packages.
  • Assuming the release date of the ISO means the upgrade offer is already enabled on every server.
  • Re-enabling all old repositories immediately after reboot.
  • Accepting every configuration-file prompt without comparing local changes.
  • Declaring success when SSH works, without testing mounts, services, scheduled jobs, monitoring, backups, and application traffic.

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