How To Upgrade from Ubuntu 18.10 to 19.10 Using Command Line?

In this article, we will guide you through the process of upgrading your Ubuntu 18.10 system to Ubuntu 19.10 using the command line. This process is also known as a “distribution upgrade”. Please note that this is an unsupported upgrade path, as Ubuntu 18.10 has reached its end of life and is no longer receiving official updates or security patches.

Preparing for the Upgrade

Before you begin, it’s always a good idea to back up any important data. The upgrade process is usually smooth, but there’s always a small risk of data loss.

First, open a terminal. You can do this by pressing Ctrl+Alt+T or by searching for ‘terminal’ in the application menu.

Update your current system packages to their latest versions with the following commands:

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade
sudo apt dist-upgrade

The sudo command gives you administrative privileges (required for system updates), apt update updates your package lists, apt upgrade upgrades all upgradable packages, and apt dist-upgrade handles changing dependencies with new versions of packages.

Editing the Sources List

Next, you need to edit your sources.list file to point to the old-releases server. This is because Ubuntu 18.10 is no longer supported and its packages have been moved to an old-releases server.

Run the following command to open the file in a text editor:

sudo nano /etc/apt/sources.list

In the file, replace all instances of http://archive.ubuntu.com with http://old-releases.ubuntu.com. Save the changes and exit the text editor.

Updating Package Lists

Now, update your package lists again by running:

sudo apt update

Installing the Upgrade Tool

Ubuntu provides a tool called update-manager-core that handles distribution upgrades. Install it with the following command:

sudo apt install update-manager-core

Configuring the Upgrade Tool

Next, you need to configure the upgrade tool to look for new ‘normal’ releases (as opposed to ‘long term support’ releases). Open the configuration file with the following command:

sudo nano /etc/update-manager/release-upgrades

Make sure the Prompt line is set to normal. Save the changes and exit the text editor.

Performing the Upgrade

You’re now ready to start the upgrade process. Run the following command:

sudo do-release-upgrade

The do-release-upgrade command will now start the upgrade process. It will first update your package lists again, then calculate and manage the necessary changes.

Follow the prompts and instructions provided by the upgrade tool. It may take some time to download and install the necessary packages.

If you encounter any errors during the upgrade, it’s a good idea to look up the error message on the Ubuntu Forums or Ask Ubuntu.

Conclusion

Upgrading from Ubuntu 18.10 to 19.10 using the command line is a straightforward process, but it’s not officially supported. If you encounter problems, consider performing a clean installation of Ubuntu 19.10 or waiting for the release of Ubuntu 20.04 LTS, which will provide a supported upgrade path from Ubuntu 18.04 LTS.

Remember to always back up your data before performing a system upgrade. Happy upgrading!