On Ubuntu 24.04 LTS, the default linux-azure metapackage now points at kernel 7.0 (7.0.0-1014.14~24.04.1, amd64 and arm64). VMs that track it move to 7.0 on the next upgrade, and the new kernel runs after a reboot.
To stay on 6.8, track linux-azure-lts-24.04 instead. For confidential VMs, the amd64 equivalents are linux-image-azure-fde (7.0) and linux-azure-fde-lts-24.04 (6.8).
Kernel 7.0 is the Ubuntu 24.04.5 LTS hardware enablement (HWE) kernel, with standard security maintenance until May 2029 (Ubuntu release cycle).
| Release | Metapackage | Kernel | Version in -updates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-azure (default) |
7.0 | 7.0.0-1014.14~24.04.1 |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-azure-lts-24.04 |
6.8 | 6.8.0-1068.76 |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS confidential | linux-image-azure-fde |
7.0 | 7.0.0-1013.13~24.04.1 |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS confidential | linux-azure-fde-lts-24.04 |
6.8 | 6.8.0-1066.73 |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | linux-azure (default) |
6.8 | 6.8.0-1068.76~22.04.1 |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | linux-azure-lts-22.04 |
5.15 | 5.15.0.1122.120 |
| Ubuntu 26.04 LTS | linux-azure |
7.0 | 7.0.0-1014.14 |