THE FIELD GUIDE / PATCHING
Distribution release upgrades
Review the whole transition, then make one go/no-go decision.
Prepare the plan
Choose Plan distribution upgrade on a server. Review centrally resolved package changes, authenticated vendor defaults and AI-proposed configuration diffs. A tested release-capable snapshot adapter and explicit validation and recovery hooks are prerequisites.
Supported transitions
Upgrade one adjacent release at a time: Ubuntu 22.04 → 24.04 → 26.04 LTS, when offered by Ubuntu, and Debian 11 → 12 → 13 on amd64/arm64 systemd hosts. Raspberry Pi OS major releases use a new-image migration workflow.
Make the decision
One GO authorizes the named transition, shown edits, service interruption, reboot and one snapshot rollback. Blockers disable GO. Cancelling a linked job cancels the plan; prepare a new plan before approving again.
Survive interruptions
A detached target runner continues through SSH disconnects. Expired queued plans stop before dispatch. Workers resume observation without replaying installation and read the durable receipt after uncertain rollback replies. Recovery verifies original inventory, repository trust, configuration and services. Uncertain results hold the host for reconciliation.
Open the application reference for capability scope and technical details.
Open Open RELEASE_UPGRADES.md on GitHub ↗