How to upgrade from Ubuntu 20.04 LTS to 22.04 LTS

Built on Debian, Ubuntu is a Linux distribution that primarily uses free and open-source software. Officially, Ubuntu is available in three editions: Desktop, Server, and Core for robotics and Internet of Things devices. Every version may be used either on the computer by itself or in a virtual machine. Ubuntu 22.04 LTS (“Jammy Jellyfish”) is currently available for download.

Using the command-line and GUI options, this guide describes how to properly upgrade from Ubuntu 20.04 LTS (Focal Fossa) to Ubuntu 22.04 LTS. here is a similar guide: How To Install Google Cloud SDK on a Linux System and How to install Golang on a Linux System also How to install and configure JIRA on Linux and How to use color filters in Windows again, How to install Sysinternals from the Microsoft Store also How to install Gradle on Ubuntu

There are New and Important features including:
Apache 2.4.52
BIND 9.18
Corosync 3.16
Django 3.2.12
Firefox 99 (Firefox is now only provided in Ubuntu as a snap)
GNOME has been updated to include new features and fixes from GNOME 41 and GNOME 42
LibreOffice 7.3
Linux kernel v5.15.0-25
MySQL 8.0.28
NetworkManager 1.36
nftables is default as backend for the firewall
Pacemaker 2.1.2
Perl v5.34.0
PHP 8.1.2
PostgreSQL 14.2
Python 3.10.4
Ruby 3.0
Samba 4.15.5
ssh-rsa is now disabled by default in OpenSSH.
Thunderbird 91

Prerequisites

Below are the prerequisites for upgrading Ubuntu 20.04 LTS to 22.04 LTS

• Ubuntu 20.04 LTS
• A computer with root privileges
• Terminal

The CLI method of Upgrade

Before switching from Ubuntu 20.04 (Focal Fossa) to Ubuntu 22.04 (Jammy Jellyfish), make a complete backup of your data. Check for default behavior for the release upgrader by using the cat/more or less command:

less /etc/update-manager/release-upgrades

make sure prompt is set to LTS as shown below:

# Default behavior for the release upgrader.

[DEFAULT]
# Default prompting and upgrade behavior, valid options:
#
#  never - Never check for, or allow upgrading to, a new release.
#  normal - Check to see if a new release is available.  If more than one new
#           release is found, the release upgrader will attempt to upgrade to
#           the supported release that immediately succeeds the
#           currently-running release.
#  lts    - Check to see if a new LTS release is available.  The upgrader
#           will attempt to upgrade to the first LTS release available after
#           the currently-running one.  Note that if this option is used and
#           the currently-running release is not itself an LTS release the
#           upgrader will assume prompt was meant to be normal.
Prompt=lts
/etc/update-manager/release-upgrades (END)

Step1: Update your system

Start the terminal program. Use the ssh command to connect to a remote server. To begin, locate all packages that are on hold and use the following command: apt-mark

sudo apt-mark showhold

If the output is empty, there are no packages that have been kept back, and you can continue without risk. Otherwise, you must use the apt-mark command to release a hold on packages. Unhold the packets, for example, as seen below (replace pkg1 pkg2 with actual names)

sudo apt-mark unhold pkg1 pkg2

Using the apt command, update & upgrade your present system:

apt update
apt upgrade

You should take note that apt update refreshes the apt repository, while apt upgrade applies those updates.

reboot since a new kernel was installed through the upgrade.

sudo apt reboot

Step 2 – Write down the name of the current Linux distribution and kernel version.

You can do this with the commands below:

uname -mrs
lsb_release -a

Step 3 – Open TCP port 1022

Using the ufw command, open an extra ssh port at port 1022. especially if you are working with a virtual machine and sshing into it

sudo ufw allow 1022/tcp comment 'As a failsafe upgrading option, open port ssh tcp port 1022.'

verify this by running the command below

sufo ufw status

Step 4: Using the command line, change to Ubuntu 22.04 LTS

sudo do-release-upgrade -d

This might take some time, but when it is eventually done, it might look like what you see below

upgrade arrived, by accident. I tried to restart my computer because it was frozen and then discovered that it was completed but without a GUI. So next we will install a GUI on it with the command

sudo apt-get install ubuntu-desktop

let’s confirm that ubuntu 22.04 is really installed with the command:

uname -mrs
lsb_release -a

Step 5: Enable 3rd party repos/mirrors

ensure that third-party mirrors and repo are enabled now that the upgrade from Ubuntu 20.04 LTS to 22.04 LTS has been completed. You won’t receive updates if you don’t. As an example, use the cd command:

cd /etc/apt/sources.list.d
ls -l

finally , lets clean unwanted left overs with the command below:

sudo apt autoremove --purge

This even gets interesting and easier using the GUI by typing the command below in your terminal

sudo update-manager -c -d

GUI method of Upgrade

The Cli method helped us to upgrade from 20.0LTS to 22.04LTS assuming we have the intension to upgrade from 22.04 LTS to 22.10 LTS all we just need to do is hit the upgrade button from the upgrade icon on the software updater software in your machine as indicated by the red arrow above.

As you can see the upgrade is still in the process of being tested and I do a lot of work with my machine so I would not want to take that risk. But if you were upgrading from 20.04 to 22.04, it would be the same process. In the screenshot above, once you hit upgrade you will be able to get the latest release. GUI seems easier. Let us know in the comment section which method works best for you.

Summary

You learned about CLI ways for upgrading from Ubuntu 20.04 LTS to 22.04 LTS and briefly saw how to use the software updater for the GUI method