Ubuntu 24.04 LTS Release Notes

Introduction

These release notes for Ubuntu 24.04 LTS (Noble Numbat) provide an overview of the release.

• Please review the updated documentation.
• To download see the attached artifacts or visit the download website.
• If The Ubuntu 24.04 Beta Image was installed, I would recommend a fresh install as there are new meta packages to further assist with system updates.

Linux Kernel

Ubuntu 24.04 LTS is shipped with the new Rockchip 6.1 Linux kernel that brings many new features.

Notable changes:

• Re-worked kernel packaging to follow upstream Ubuntu
• Dynamic Kernel Module Support (DKMS)
• The ZFS filesystem and utilities can now be installed
• V4L2 loopback can now be installed
• Backported mainline RTW89 and RTW88 drivers
• Dropped the Realtek r8125 network driver in favor of r8169
• Dropped multiple MIPI / DSI display panels
• Updated the Rockchip NPU driver to version 0.9.6

Updated Packages

Multiple packages have been ported to Ubuntu 24.04 LTS with working hardware acceleration.

Packages:

• Chromium
• Clapper
• FFmpeg
• GStreamer
• Kodi
• MPV
• OBS Studio
• Panfork Mesa

General Changes

• Ubuntu Server now uses a small 4MB partition named CIDATA for cloud-init configuration and the root partition has been renamed to cloudimg-rootfs and marked as a bootable EFI partition.
• Ubuntu Desktop now uses a singular partition named desktop-rootfs and marked as a bootable EFI partition.
• Created ubuntu-rockchip-settings as a package to manage default settings that are specific to the Rockchip platform.
• Created ubuntu-rockchip-meta as a package to depend on all of the packages used in the server or desktop system.
• The root filesystem is now built with livecd-rootfs to follow upstream Ubuntu.
• Now using extlinux to handle the kernel cmdline, device trees, and overlays.
• The serial terminal login prompt on Ubuntu Server will now wait for could-init to finish setup.
• Updating the SPI Flash with the command u-boot-install-mtd will now use flashcp and no longer use a parameter.
• Neofetch now has multiple CPU model detection for ARM.
• Mali G610 firmware and multimedia config are now pre-installed on Ubuntu Server.
• The snaps lxd, core, and snapd now come pre-installed.

Upcoming Changes

• Entire build system re-work / cleanup, I've been getting lazy and uploading messy code because of burnout associated with getting Ubuntu 24.04 ready.
• Complete Ubuntu 22.04 LTS and 5.10 kernel re-work.

Missing Features and Known Issues

• Firefox, Thunderbird, and the Snap Store are not included in the Desktop image due to file size limitations related to GitHub's 2GB artifact limit.
• Widevine has not been ported for DRM playback.
• MIPI / DSI display panels have not been tested and may not work.
• Cameras have not been tested and may not work.
• WiFi and Bluetooth for the Orange Pi 5 Pro have stability issues.
• Support for RK3566 will be addressed at a later date.

Special Thanks

I want a moment to thank some talented open-source developers who have both assisted me and contributed greatly to related projects, please send them some love: @nyanmisaka, @amazingfate, @kwankiu, @hbiyik / @boogieeeee.