The Ubuntu 24.04 LTS Noble Numbat Beta is fresh off the presses and we need the community to do what they do best: Take the beta for a test drive and help us identify and crush any remaining bugs. Let’s make this LTS release the best one yet!
Security as a first priority
As you may have noticed, the beta was released later than usual this cycle. This was decided as a result of the recent xz/liblzma security incident. Canonical views safety, security and reliability as top priorities, and while delaying a beta is a difficult decision, it was done so to ensure Ubuntu remains a trusted platform for its many users. You can read more about this decision in this recent update.
Getting started
Start by simply downloading the Ubuntu 24.04 LTS Beta Image, install it on your machine (physical or virtual), perform the variety of test cases found on the ISO tracker and report your results. If you experience any bugs along the way, please consider also submitting a bug report with your findings.
New features to test
Ubuntu 24.04 LTS will ship with a number of exciting new features that we want to ensure are in tip-top shape for release day. Here are a few of them:
Ubuntu Desktop Installer Improvements
The Ubuntu Desktop Installer has received a number of visual and functional improvements. From the start, users will notice a new Accessibility section where they enable settings to accommodate users personal needs and preferences. This is followed by a new option to import autoinstall configurations for templated custom provisioning. Further into the flow you’ll find options for experimental ZFS and TPM-backed full disk encryption. With these enhanced options the matrix of installation combinations is expanding significantly and we want confidence that we have covered as many different ways to install Ubuntu Desktop as possible on as wide a range of hardware as we can. Don’t just focus on the new features, feel free to play with dual boot, custom partitions and real world hardware to ensure the happy path stays healthy!
Any issues related to the desktop installer can be reported on the Ubuntu Desktop Provision Github Repository.
Other places to engage with Ubuntu 24.04 LTS testing
If you don’t have access to a laptop or other x86 hardware to test the latest builds we still want to ensure we’re delivering a great experience on a number of other platforms.
- Ubuntu on WSL - download the ‘Ubuntu Preview’ application from the Windows store to get the latest, tested daily builds.
- Raspberry Pi - Ubuntu 24.04 LTS is designed to support the Raspberry Pi 4 and new Raspberry Pi 5, get the latest daily builds here.
- VM software - Try QEMU, Virtual Box, VMware player
App Center and Firmware Updater
The Ubuntu App Center has received a number of new features and improvements since it was first introduced in Ubuntu 23.10. As a vital tool for managing the software on your device, we want to make sure it’s a polished user experience.
- Search, install and run various applications.
- Try installing different versions of applications
- Update existing Snaps within the Manage section.
If you experience any bugs during testing, please consider filing an issue on the App Center Github repository.
Ubuntu 24.04 will be released with an all new graphical firmware update tool. If you’re testing the beta on a physical machine, there are a few ways you can help test its functionality. (Please note: Updating firmware has its risks and should be performed with caution)
- Check if your device hardware is properly detected and displayed.
- If firmware is available for hardware, try installing or updating it.
If you experience any problems, please consider filing an issue on the Firmware Updater Github repository.
Netplan
We recently announced the 1.0 release of Netplan, the powerful and declarative network management configuration tool that powers both Ubuntu Desktop and Ubuntu Server. With this new release, there are a number of improvements for complex networking configurations, tighter NetworkManager integration, new CLI subcommands, and improved documentation.
Take Netplan for a test drive:
- Create, edit and apply a netplan configuration on Ubuntu Desktop or Server. (Check this guide for more tips)
- Try creating various network configurations within NetworkManager and check if they are being properly applied.
GNOME 46
Noble will ship with GNOME 46, the latest iteration of the iconic desktop. As with most GNOME releases, there are lots of improvements, features and goodies to explore. Check out the release notes for some highlights.
- Login and use applications using the default Wayland (default) and X.org session.
- If you have multiple devices running the Beta, you can test the new Remote Login with RDP feature found in the Remote Desktop application.
- The Online Accounts application can now connect to Microsoft OneDrive. If you have an account, try to login and browse your OneDrive files from within the File Manager.
Be sure to check out the various instructions within the test cases found on the ISO tracker for other specific testing criteria.
Additional Areas of Interest
Over the next few days the Ubuntu 24.04 LTS release notes will be expanded to cover all of the latest updates and known issues currently available. Keep checking in on that page to deep dive into additional areas you might want to try out and let us know if you encounter any issues that haven’t been tracked.
Spice up your testing
Ubuntu Flavours are an important part of our community and also rely on community testers to ensure their releases are stable and ready for general use. While their testing process is typically very similar to Ubuntu, it’s important to follow their community’s additional testing guidance.
Chat with fellow Testers
Testing is a community effort and a great opportunity to meet your fellow Ubuntu enthusiasts. Start chatting about your test findings on the Ubuntu Testing Matrix Space, on the #ubuntu-quality IRC channel or on the #testing-cycles channel on the Ubuntu Hideout Discord server.
Additional Learning Resources for Testers
Testing is an excellent way to contribute to the Ubuntu Community. Learn more about contributing via QA and Testing.
For new tester support and additional QA information, please check out our various learning resources:
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