Migration guide

Move Ubuntu 18.04 to Ubuntu 24.04 in one step

Q: How do I show that the Ubuntu 24.04 host matches the old one?

With the parity report. vrtmv verify checks the rebuilt host against the plan, from its package database and the carried configuration paths, and exits non-zero on any parity gap, so cutover can be gated on it. Keep the source inventory, the plan and the report with the change record.

An 18.04 host that has to reach 24.04 in place goes through Ubuntu 20.04 and Ubuntu 22.04 on the way: three runs of do-release-upgrade, three rounds of configuration prompts, and three chances for an upgrade to stop half way on a production machine.

vrtmv skips the intermediate releases. It reads the 18.04 host, plans a fresh 24.04 host from the Index, and builds it while the old one keeps running. The package names barely change across six years of releases; the database versions change a great deal.

Where Ubuntu 18.04 stands

Ubuntu 18.04 left standard support in May 2023; past that it is patched only under an extended-support subscription.

Packages that change name

Of the packages the Index translates for this move, these arrive on Ubuntu 24.04 under another name. vrtmv installs the new name and carries the configuration across; nothing on the old host is renamed by hand.

rng-tools becomes rng-tools5.

Services that change

smartd.service is smartmontools.service on Ubuntu 24.04.

Databases on each side

MariaDB: 10.1 by default on Ubuntu 18.04, 10.11 by default on Ubuntu 24.04. The data moves by a dump and restore, with the database stopped.
MySQL: 5.7 by default on Ubuntu 18.04, 8.0 by default on Ubuntu 24.04. The data moves by an in-place upgrade, with the database stopped.
PostgreSQL: 10 by default on Ubuntu 18.04, 16 by default on Ubuntu 24.04. The data moves by an in-place pg_upgrade or a dump and restore, with the database stopped.

Repositories

The packages come from main, multiverse, restricted and universe, enabled by default. Vendor repositories the source used are named in the plan, not silently enabled.

What needs your decision

vrtmv does not guess at these. Each one is a line on the plan's punch list, for you to settle before the rebuild runs.

MySQL 5.7 to 8.0 is one way. Once 8.0 has upgraded the data dictionary, the data cannot go back to 5.7; keep the old host and its data until the new one has run in production.
PostgreSQL 10 to 16. Six major versions in one move: test the application against 16 before cut-over, and choose the dump-and-restore or pg_upgrade window.

What the parity run showed

vrtmv's conformance run for this pair read the inventory from a real Ubuntu 18.04 disk, planned the move and applied the plan to a fresh Ubuntu 24.04 system. All 49 packages the plan promised were installed on the target, and all 64 carried configuration files landed. Your parity report gives the same accounting for your own hosts.

Should this become a container?

Usually not. A container image runs one command, with no init and no scheduler, on the kernel of the machine it runs on. An Ubuntu 18.04 host that runs one long-lived service, keeps its data in directories you can mount as volumes and reads its config from files is a candidate for one; start the image and test that service before you plan a cutover on it. A host that runs several services, keeps a database on its own disk or runs cron jobs is better rebuilt as an Ubuntu 24.04 machine, which is what vrtmv does by default.

Before you choose, vrtmv assess runs its container feasibility checks on the source (kernel modules, the entrypoint, local state, scheduled jobs and software no package installed) and prints what each one found. The full fit lists, and what breaks after the image runs.

How vrtmv does it

vrtmv reads the Ubuntu 18.04 host without an agent and changes nothing on it. The Index translates its packages, services and settings to Ubuntu 24.04, and the plan lists every change and every decision before anything runs. The new host is built from that plan, and the parity report compares it with the old one, so you can show an auditor what came across.

Questions about this move

Does vrtmv upgrade Ubuntu 18.04 to Ubuntu 24.04 in place?

No. vrtmv reads the Ubuntu 18.04 host without an agent and changes nothing on it. It builds a fresh Ubuntu 24.04 host from the plan, so the old host keeps running until you cut over, and it stays your way back.

Which packages change name on Ubuntu 24.04?

One of the packages the Index translates for this move arrives on Ubuntu 24.04 under another name: rng-tools becomes rng-tools5. vrtmv installs the new name and carries the configuration across, and the plan lists each one.

Does Ubuntu 24.04 need a subscription?

No. The packages come from main, multiverse, restricted and universe, enabled by default.

Is Ubuntu 18.04 still supported?