How to upgrade Ubuntu to 23.04 and Linux kernel to 6.2

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In this article, you will learn how to upgrade Ubuntu to 23.04 and linux kernel to the latest stable 6.2 or mainline 6.3. As seen from the user's feedback in comments upgrade helped them to solve various issues with Wi-Fi, LAN, sound, and video cards. Also, it is always good to be on the latest supported and the most secure OS version to keep your system well protected. If you want to upgrade to one of the previous versions, I will also show you how to do it. The latest Ubuntu 23.04 (Lunar Lobster) contains the following improvements:

  • Updated installer
  • Linux kernel 6.2
  • GNOME 44
  • PipeWire as the audio system
  • New tools to optimise developer workflows
  • Support for microcontrollers and embedded displays on the Raspberry Pi
  • Upgraded enterprise management tooling
  • Improved desktop usability and performance

Before we start I want to let you know that DigitalOcean gives you $100 for free to try their services. You can run VMs or containers, deploy websites and do a lot of cool stuff, including checking how smooth the Ubuntu do 23.04 upgrade will go.

To perform Ubuntu upgrade to 23.04 you will need around 2 hours to follow these steps:

Preparation

  1. Update packages list
    sudo apt-get update
  2. Upgrade packages
    sudo apt-get upgrade
  3. Install update-manager-core package
    sudo apt-get install update-manager-core

Update Ubuntu to 23.04

  1. Upgrade distro
    sudo apt-get dist-upgrade
  2. Update Ubuntu to the latest LTS release

    Run the following command until you get your Ubuntu to version 22.04:

    sudo do-release-upgrade
  3. Change default branch from lts to normal

    Once you update your Ubuntu to 22.04, the latest LTS version, you need to tell the update manager to get the newest short-term supported Ubuntu 22.10. If you want to test new features and are an experienced Linux user you can upgrade to the currently developed 23.04. But remember to back up all your important files in advance, especially if you are going to upgrade your live pc, laptop, or server. But better to test the upgrade on a VM first. The main rule - the fewer versions you are skipping the soother the upgrade process will be, so if you would like to upgrade directly from say 20.04 to 23.04 the process most likely will fail or you will get a bunch of errors and need to fix broken packages and re-run the upgrade again. So I told you -better be safe than sorry, and now let`s move on.

    sudo sed -i 's/lts/normal/g' /etc/update-manager/release-upgrades
  4. Change default distro from your current
    • 20.04 - focal
    • 20.10 - groovy
    • 21.04 - hirsute
    • 21.10 - impish
    • 22.04 - jammy
    • 22.10 - kinetic
    • 23.04 - lunar (development branch)

    in the example below, we are upgrading from Ubuntu 22.04 (jammy) to 23.04 (lunar)

    sudo sed -i `s/jammy/lunar/g` /etc/apt/sources.list
  5. Update packages list
    sudo apt-get update
  6. Upgrade packages
    sudo apt-get upgrade
  7. Run full upgrade
    sudo apt-get dist-upgrade
  8. If any error re-run
    sudo apt-get update
    sudo apt-get dist-upgrade
  9. Run cleanup
    sudo apt-get autoremove
    sudo apt-get clean
  10. Reboot the system
    sudo reboot

Upgrade Ubuntu kernel version

  1. Change current directory to /tmp
    cd /tmp
  2. Download latest stable kernel
    wget -c https://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v6.2.9/amd64/linux-headers-6.2.9-060209_6.2.9-060209.202303301133_all.deb
    wget -c https://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v6.2.9/amd64/linux-headers-6.2.9-060209-generic_6.2.9-060209.202303301133_amd64.deb
    wget -c https://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v6.2.9/amd64/linux-image-unsigned-6.2.9-060209-generic_6.2.9-060209.202303301133_amd64.deb
    wget -c https://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v6.2.9/amd64/linux-modules-6.2.9-060209-generic_6.2.9-060209.202303301133_amd64.deb
  3. Install latest stable kernel
    sudo dpkg -i *.deb
  4. Reboot system after latest stable kernel upgrade
    sudo reboot
  5. Change current directory to /tmp
    cd /tmp
  6. Download latest mainline kernel (optionally)
    If you experience some issues with the latest stable kernel or want to test the newest release candidate you might give the latest kernel release candidate a try. But be cautious, it is still in development, and while fixing some bugs, new ones might appear. There are two ways to install latest mainline kernel:
    • sudo add-apt-repository ppa:cappelikan/ppa -y
    • sudo apt-get update
    • sudo apt install mainline -y
    or:
    wget -c https://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v6.3-rc4/amd64/linux-headers-6.3.0-060300rc4_6.3.0-060300rc4.202303262231_all.deb
    wget -c https://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v6.3-rc4/amd64/linux-headers-6.3.0-060300rc4-generic_6.3.0-060300rc4.202303262231_amd64.deb
    wget -c https://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v6.3-rc4/amd64/linux-image-unsigned-6.3.0-060300rc4-generic_6.3.0-060300rc4.202303262231_amd64.deb
    wget -c https://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v6.3-rc4/amd64/linux-modules-6.3.0-060300rc4-generic_6.3.0-060300rc4.202303262231_amd64.deb
  7. Install latest mainline kernel
    sudo dpkg -i *.deb
  8. Reboot system after latest mainline kernel upgrade
    sudo reboot

Finishing up

  1. Update packages list
    sudo apt-get update
  2. Upgrade packages
    sudo apt-get upgrade
  3. Reboot the system if needed
    sudo reboot
  4. Check the OS distro
    lsb_release -a
  5. Check kernel version
    uname -r

That`s it, now you should be running on the latest best-looking Ubuntu 23 and more secure latest Linux Kernel.