Question

unable to update. Getting the error while running the command -sudo apt update

Posted on September 27, 2023
Ubuntu 20.04 Product updates
Asked by kamalpatel

Getting the error as below, while running- sudo apt update command. Ubuntu server version is -21.04:

Ign:1 http://mirrors.digitalocean.com/ubuntu hirsute InRelease
Ign:2 http://mirrors.digitalocean.com/ubuntu hirsute-updates InRelease
Ign:3 http://mirrors.digitalocean.com/ubuntu hirsute-backports InRelease
Hit:4 http://old-releases.ubuntu.com/ubuntu hirsute-security InRelease
Err:5 http://mirrors.digitalocean.com/ubuntu hirsute Release
  404  Not Found [IP: 172.64.80.1 80]
Err:6 http://mirrors.digitalocean.com/ubuntu hirsute-updates Release
  404  Not Found [IP: 172.64.80.1 80]
Err:7 http://mirrors.digitalocean.com/ubuntu hirsute-backports Release
  404  Not Found [IP: 172.64.80.1 80]
Reading package lists... Done
E: The repository 'http://mirrors.digitalocean.com/ubuntu hirsute Release' no longer has a Release file.
N: Updating from such a repository can't be done securely, and is therefore disabled by default.
N: See apt-secure(8) manpage for repository creation and user configuration details.
E: The repository 'http://mirrors.digitalocean.com/ubuntu hirsute-updates Release' no longer has a Release file.
N: Updating from such a repository can't be done securely, and is therefore disabled by default.
N: See apt-secure(8) manpage for repository creation and user configuration details.
E: The repository 'http://mirrors.digitalocean.com/ubuntu hirsute-backports Release' no longer has a Release file.
N: Updating from such a repository can't be done securely, and is therefore disabled by default.
N: See apt-secure(8) manpage for repository creation and user configuration details.

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Bobby Iliev

Site Moderator

• September 28, 2023

Accepted Answer

Hi there,

The error messages you’re seeing indicate that the repositories for Ubuntu 21.04 (Hirsute Hippo) are no longer available at the specified URLs. This is expected behavior when a version of Ubuntu reaches its end of life (EOL).

After a release reaches its EOL, its repositories are moved to old-releases.ubuntu.com, and the main mirrors (like the DigitalOcean mirror you’re using) will no longer host them.

It is best to plan an upgrade to a supported version like 22.04 for example. Here is a step by step tutorial on how to do that:

https://www.digitalocean.com/community/tutorials/how-to-upgrade-to-ubuntu-22-04-jammy-jellyfish

If you prefer to keep using 21.04, here is what you could try:

Backup Important Data: Before making any changes, ensure you have backups of any important data.
Update the Repository Sources:
- Open the sources list:
```
sudo nano /etc/apt/sources.list
```
- Replace all instances of http://mirrors.digitalocean.com/ubuntu with http://old-releases.ubuntu.com/ubuntu.
- Save and close the file (in nano, press CTRL + X, then press Y, then press Enter).
Update and Upgrade:
- Run the update command again:
```
sudo apt update
```
- Then, upgrade the packages:
```
sudo apt upgrade
```