Upgrade Ubuntu Server From 8.10 to 9.10 - How To

You can use the following steps to easily upgrade Ubuntu Linux server (or workstation) 8.x to 9.10 (latest version as of this posting), either locally or remotely over ssh from a terminal command line.

Note: Backup important data and configuration files first.

First, apply latest updates to Ubuntu 8.x using:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade

Next, install update-manager-core (if it is not already installed):

sudo apt-get install update-manager-core

Finally, start the upgrade:

sudo do-release-upgrade

And just follow the on-screen instructions to complete the Ubuntu 9.10 upgrade.