New Zealand Linux

Many times I’ve seen a VPS running such old versions of Ubuntu that they can no longer use apt at all because its no longer a supported release. For the most part at this stage, i fully recommend doing a reinstall of the machine which is the much easier faster solution. If for whatever reason this is not accepetable (its a server at a datacenter miles away kinda thing and not a VPS) this is what you do.

$ sudo vim /etc/apt/sources.list

and replace the repositories with:

deb http://old-releases.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ $version main restricted
deb-src http://old-releases.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ $version main restricted
deb http://old-releases.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ $version-updates main restricted
deb-src http://old-releases.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ $version-updates main restricted
deb http://old-releases.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ $version universe multiverse
deb-src http://old-releases.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ $version universe multiverse
deb http://old-releases.ubuntu.com/ubuntu $version-security main restricted
deb-src http://old-releases.ubuntu.com/ubuntu $version-security main restricted

Swapping out the $version for the actual version (ie edgy, intrepid etc) you currently have installed

Update your sources and install the upgrade tool with the following command.

$ sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get upgrade && sudo apt-get install update-manager-core

Now run the upgrade:

$ sudo do-release-upgrade

The tool will run for a minute, then it may give you an error about your repositories saying they are invalid and would you like to update your repositories. Don’t answer yet. Open a new console and modify /etc/apt/sources.list

deb http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ $newversion main restricted
deb-src http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ $newversion main restricted
deb http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ $newversion-updates main restricted
deb-src http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ $newversion-updates main restricted
deb http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ $newversion universe multiverse
deb-src http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ $newversion universe multiverse
deb http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu $newversion-security main restricted
deb-src http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu $newversion-security main restricted

Then go back to the original prompt and choose y. The tool will then succeed. After your initial upgrade, simply running do-release-upgrade will suffice.

If you are going from one old-release to another expired release then you do not need to edit the sources.list in between.

——————————————-

The Ubuntu team is pleased to announce Ubuntu 9.04 Desktop and Server
editions and Ubuntu Netbook Remix, continuing Ubuntu’s tradition of
integrating the latest and greatest open source technologies into a
high-quality, easy-to-use Linux distribution.

Read more about the features of Ubuntu 9.04 in the following press releases:

Desktop edition http://www.ubuntu.com/news/ubuntu-9.04-desktop
Server edition http://www.ubuntu.com/news/ubuntu-9.04-server
Netbook Remix http://www.ubuntu.com/news/ubuntu-9.04-unr

Ubuntu 9.04 will be supported for 18 months on both desktops and servers.
Users requiring a longer support lifetime may choose to continue using
Ubuntu 8.04 LTS rather than upgrading to or installing 9.04.

Ubuntu 9.04 is also the basis for new 9.04 releases of Kubuntu, Xubuntu,
Edubuntu, UbuntuStudio, and Mythbuntu:

Kubuntu http://kubuntu.org/news/9.04-release
Xubuntu http://xubuntu.org/news/9.04-release
Edubuntu http://edubuntu.org/news/9.04-release
Mythbuntu http://mythbuntu.org/9.04/release
Ubuntu Studio http://ubuntustudio.org/downloads

To Get Ubuntu 9.04
——————

To download Ubuntu 9.04, or obtain CDs, visit:

http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu

Users of Ubuntu 8.10 will be offered an automatic upgrade to 9.04 via
Update Manager. For further information about upgrading, see:

http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/upgrading

As always, upgrades to the latest version of Ubuntu are entirely free of
charge.

We recommend that all users read the release notes, which document
caveats and workarounds for known issues. They are available at:

http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/releasenotes/904

Find out what’s new in this release with a graphical overview:

http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/releasenotes/904overview

If you have a question, or if you think you may have found a bug but
aren’t sure, try asking on the #ubuntu IRC channel, on the Ubuntu Users
mailing list, or on the Ubuntu forums:

#ubuntu on irc.freenode.net
http://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-users
http://www.ubuntuforums.org/

Helping Shape Ubuntu
——————–

If you would like to help shape Ubuntu, take a look at the list of ways
you can participate at:

http://www.ubuntu.com/community/participate/

About Ubuntu
————

Ubuntu is a full-featured Linux distribution for desktops, laptops,
netbooks and servers, with a fast and easy install and regular releases. A
tightly-integrated selection of excellent applications is included, and an
incredible variety of add-on software is just a few clicks away.

Professional services, including support, are available from Canonical
Limited and hundreds of other companies around the world. For more
information about support, visit:

http://www.ubuntu.com/support

More Information
—————-

You can find out more about Ubuntu and about this release on our website:

http://www.ubuntu.com/