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Vultr profile image Aashish Chaurasiya
Aashish Chaurasiya for Vultr

Posted on • Originally published at docs.vultr.com

Upgrading Ubuntu 24.04 to Ubuntu 26.04

#ubuntu #linux #sysadmin #devops

Ubuntu 24.04 LTS remains fully supported, but Ubuntu 26.04 LTS ships the Linux 7.0 kernel and updated security defaults. This guide upgrades a live Ubuntu 24.04 server to Ubuntu 26.04 LTS in-place using do-release-upgrade, handling the auxiliary SSH daemon, configuration file conflicts, and obsolete package removal. By the end, you'll have a running Ubuntu 26.04 system with the kernel version confirmed.

Prepare for the Upgrade

1. Update the APT package index and upgrade all installed packages:

$ sudo apt update
$ sudo apt upgrade -y
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2. Remove obsolete packages:

$ sudo apt autoremove -y
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3. Install the upgrade manager:

$ sudo apt install update-manager-core -y
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Open the Auxiliary SSH Port

The do-release-upgrade tool starts an auxiliary SSH daemon on port 1022. Opening this port prevents being locked out if the primary SSH connection drops during the upgrade.

$ sudo ufw allow 1022/tcp
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Run the Upgrade

1. Launch the release upgrade tool:

$ sudo do-release-upgrade -d
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2. Follow the interactive prompts:

  • Confirm the upgrade to Ubuntu 26.04 LTS when prompted
  • Allow the auxiliary SSH daemon to start on port 1022
  • Accept any keyboard configuration dialogs
  • When asked about configuration files, keep the local version
  • Confirm removal of obsolete packages when prompted
  • Reboot the server to complete the upgrade

Verify the Upgrade

1. Confirm the OS version:

$ cat /etc/os-release
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The output shows VERSION_ID="26.04" and VERSION_CODENAME="resolute".

2. Verify the kernel version:

$ uname -r
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The output shows kernel 7.0.0 or higher.

3. Remove the auxiliary SSH firewall rule:

$ sudo ufw delete allow 1022/tcp
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Next Steps

Ubuntu 26.04 is running with the latest kernel. From here you can:

  • Review and update any third-party APT repositories that reference the noble codename
  • Install the LAMP or LEMP stack to start hosting web applications
  • Harden the server with fail2ban and automatic security updates

For the full guide with additional tips, visit the original article on Vultr Docs.

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