An update for Ubuntu 24.04.4 LTS has been released, which includes changes aimed at improving hardware support, updating the Linux kernel and graphics stack, and fixing bugs in the installer and bootloader. Also included are the latest updates for several hundred packages addressing vulnerabilities and stability issues. Similar updates have been presented simultaneously for Kubuntu 24.04.4 LTS, Ubuntu Budgie 24.04.4 LTS, Ubuntu MATE 24.04.4 LTS, Lubuntu 24.04.4 LTS, Ubuntu Kylin 24.04.4 LTS, Ubuntu Studio 24.04.4 LTS, Xubuntu 24.04.4 LTS, Edubuntu 24.04.4 LTS, Ubuntu Cinnamon 24.04.4 LTS, and Ubuntu Unity 24.04.4 LTS.
The release includes several improvements backported from the Ubuntu 25.10 release:
- Packages with Linux kernel version 6.17 are offered (the base kernel for Ubuntu 24.04 is 6.8).
- Components of the graphics stack have been updated, including Mesa 25.2.7 and Wayland Protocols 1.45, which were tested in the Ubuntu 25.10 release. New versions of video drivers for Intel, AMD, and NVIDIA chips have been added.
- Versions of several packages have been updated, such as openvswitch 3.3.4, cloud-init 25.2, netplan 1.1.2, OpenLDAP 2.6.10, .NET 8.0.23, Snapd 2.73.
In the desktop builds (Ubuntu Desktop), the new kernel and graphics stack are offered by default. For server systems (Ubuntu Server), the new kernel is added as an option in the installer. It's only advisable to use the new builds for fresh installations — previously installed systems can receive all changes present in Ubuntu 24.04.4 through the regular update installation system.
It should be noted that a rolling model for kernel and graphics stack updates is being used, under which backported kernels and drivers will only be supported until the next corrective update of the LTS branch of Ubuntu is released. Thus, the proposed Linux kernel 6.17 in this release will be supported until the release of Ubuntu 24.04.5, which will offer the kernel from Ubuntu 26.04. The initially supplied base kernel 6.8 will be supported throughout the entire five-year support cycle.
To revert Ubuntu Desktop to the base kernel 6.8, run the command:
sudo apt install —install-recommends linux-generic
To install the new kernel on Ubuntu Server, run:
sudo apt install —install-recommends linux-generic-hwe-24.04
Source: opennet.ru
