How to securely upgrade Ubuntu from 16.04 to 18.04

Solution 1:

When in doubt err on the side of caution. The best thing to do is test, test and test some more. Using this script: Bash script to clone Ubuntu to new partition for testing 18.04 LTS upgrade you can clone your Ubuntu 16.04 to a new partition and run the upgrade to 18.04 on the new partition.

If the upgrade fails, find out why, wait for fix, clone the data again and rerun the upgrade.

After the upgrade succeeds test each application you use. If one doesn't work, find out why, wait for fix, clone the data again and rerun the upgrade.

The other part about testing is to choose which of the five unique signons you like best between Gnome, Unity, Wayland, X11 and combinations therein.

Additionally you can install new applications previously not available such as tweak tools and experiment with them. If you break something, clone the data again and rerun the upgrade.

Wash, Rinse, Repeat then Repeat again...

Solution 2:

Wait for 18.04.1 LTS before upgrading

The most secure way is to wait for the first point release, 18.04.1 LTS, in July or August. At that time the early adopters have discovered several bugs and the Ubuntu developers have squashed them.

See also Ubuntu Development version / How to participate

But there are always risks with upgrading to a new version, so you should have a new good backup before you start this adventure.

A safer alternative is to make a fresh installation, but keep the /home directory as a separate partition and select it (without formatting) via 'Something else' at the partitioning window in the installer.

Solution 3:

I did the upgrade last Saturday and Sunday (27 Apr 2018) on my desktop and laptop. Here are the issues I faced:

• My desktop froze during the upgrade (from the Internet) and I had to do a full re-upgrade from CD. Following this I was unable to launch a terminal for manual command, so I re-installed the whole thing, and it is running fine since. Desktop is running AMD Phenom IIx4, with 12Gb memory.

• My laptop upgrade was more successful: kept all my files system, but the Ethernet connection isn't recognized anymore (I can access Internet through Wi-Fi only), despite the updates made on 30 Apr 18 (see: Unable to connect with Ethernet under 18.04). Laptop is running Intel Core2 T9800 CPU, with 8Gb memory.