Public bug reported: Description
When running do-release-upgrade on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS with Prompt=lts, the tool currently reports: Checking for a new Ubuntu release There is no development version of an LTS available. To upgrade to the latest non-LTS development release set Prompt=normal in /etc/update-manager/release-upgrades. I find this message misleading in the situation where a newer stable LTS release already exists, but upgrades to it have not yet been enabled. At the time of writing, Ubuntu 26.04.1 LTS has been released and is present in: https://changelogs.ubuntu.com/meta-release-lts with: Dist: resolute Name: Resolute Raccoon Version: 26.04.1 LTS Supported: 0 The current Ubuntu 24.04 entry is: Dist: noble Name: Noble Numbat Version: 24.04.4 LTS Supported: 1 Steps to reproduce Run Ubuntu 24.04 LTS. Make sure /etc/update-manager/release-upgrades contains: Prompt=lts Run: sudo do-release-upgrade Observe: There is no development version of an LTS available. Actual behavior The message says that there is no "development version of an LTS available". This wording is confusing for several reasons: The user did not request a development release. A newer LTS release already exists and is stable. The real situation is that the upgrade path to that release is not currently enabled. The following suggestion about setting Prompt=normal makes it even easier to interpret the message as if do-release-upgrade were unexpectedly looking for a development release. A user may therefore conclude that their Prompt=lts configuration is incorrect, that do-release-upgrade is running in development mode, or that Ubuntu 26.04.1 has not actually been released. Expected behavior The message should distinguish between: No newer LTS release exists. A newer LTS exists, but upgrades from the current release are not yet enabled. A development release was explicitly requested. For example, when a newer LTS exists but its upgrade path is disabled: Checking for a new Ubuntu release Ubuntu 26.04.1 LTS is available, but upgrades from Ubuntu 24.04 LTS are not currently enabled. Please try again later. If the upgrader does not have enough information to name the newer release, a more generic message would still be clearer: No supported LTS upgrade path is currently available. A newer LTS release may exist, but upgrades to it may not yet have been enabled for your current Ubuntu release. The suggestion regarding Prompt=normal could remain separate: To upgrade to a non-LTS development release instead, set Prompt=normal in /etc/update-manager/release-upgrades. Why this matters This situation occurs naturally during the LTS upgrade cycle, especially around the period when the next LTS point release exists but Canonical has not yet enabled upgrades from the previous LTS. The existing wording makes an expected temporary state look like either a configuration problem or an attempt to find a development release. A clearer message would make do-release-upgrade easier to understand and reduce unnecessary troubleshooting. ProblemType: Bug DistroRelease: Ubuntu 24.04 Package: ubuntu-release-upgrader-core 1:24.04.28 ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 7.0.0-30.30~24.04.1-generic 7.0.12 Uname: Linux 7.0.0-30-generic x86_64 ApportVersion: 2.28.3-0ubuntu0.1 Architecture: amd64 CasperMD5CheckResult: pass CrashDB: ubuntu CurrentDesktop: KDE Date: Wed Sep 2 11:12:28 2026 InstallationDate: Installed on 2026-01-21 (224 days ago) InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 24.04.3 LTS "Noble Numbat" - Release amd64 (20250805.1) PackageArchitecture: all ProcEnviron: LANG=en_US.UTF-8 PATH=(custom, no user) SHELL=/bin/bash TERM=xterm-ghostty XDG_RUNTIME_DIR=<set> SourcePackage: ubuntu-release-upgrader UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install) ** Affects: ubuntu-release-upgrader (Ubuntu) Importance: Undecided Status: New ** Tags: amd64 apport-bug dist-upgrade noble -- You received this bug notification because you are a member of Ubuntu Bugs, which is subscribed to Ubuntu. https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/2166153 Title: Misleading message when a newer LTS exists but its upgrade path is not yet enabled To manage notifications about this bug go to: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/ubuntu-release-upgrader/+bug/2166153/+subscriptions -- ubuntu-bugs mailing list [email protected] https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-bugs
