Raspberry Pi 5 and the Linus Ubuntu 24.04 Version

Raspberry Pi 5 and the Linus Ubuntu 24.04 Version


Windows Download Link for Linux Ubuntu



Below is a draft white paper / technical guide for using Ubuntu 24.04 LTS on a Raspberry Pi 5, covering (a) overview & benefits, (b) download links, (c) flashing to microSD, (d) validation / verification, (e) known caveats & tips, and (f) sample workflow. Feel free to ask me to expand sections or format it more formally.

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1. Introduction & Motivation​

As newer ARM hardware becomes more capable, running mainstream Linux distributions on single-board computers (SBCs) like the Raspberry Pi becomes more viable. The Raspberry Pi 5 offers improved CPU, GPU, memory bandwidth, and I/O (PCIe, USB 3.0) compared to prior models. Canonical and the Ubuntu community now offer Ubuntu 24.04 LTS preinstalled images certified for Raspberry Pi 5. Ubuntu+2Ubuntu+2
Using Ubuntu 24.04 on the Pi 5 gives you:

• 
  
• A single, long-term support (LTS) base (supported until ~2029)
• Access to full Ubuntu repositories, snaps, and tooling
• A modern Linux kernel (6.8) with ARM and Pi-related enhancements
• Better compatibility for software development, server workloads, containers, AI/ML toolkits, etc.

However, because the Pi’s boot chain is somewhat custom (firmware, bootloader, config partitions), you must follow precise flashing and validation steps to ensure a successful boot.

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2. Download Links & Image Options​

Here are the main Ubuntu image types you can use on the Raspberry Pi 5:

Image Type	Description	Approx Size / Notes
Ubuntu Desktop 24.04 LTS (preinstalled)	Full desktop with GUI	~2.6 GB Ubuntu+1
Ubuntu Server 24.04 LTS (preinstalled)	Minimal, headless server install	~1.1 GB Ubuntu+1
Ubuntu Core 24	Immutable, IoT-oriented build	~314 MB Ubuntu

Download Pages:

• 
  
• Ubuntu’s official Raspberry Pi download page (select “Raspberry Pi / Ubuntu”) Ubuntu
• Ubuntu certification page for Pi 5 (with details) Ubuntu
• “Install Ubuntu on a Raspberry Pi” tutorial (from Ubuntu site) Ubuntu
• For the server variant, Wolf Paulus has walkthrough steps that include the image name (ubuntu-24.04.2-preinstalled-server-arm64+raspi.img.xz) Wolf Paulus' Journal

When you go to Ubuntu’s download page, choose the “Raspberry Pi” or “arm64 / Ubuntu for Raspberry Pi” section, and pick either the Desktop or Server preinstalled image.

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3. Flashing the Image to microSD Card​

Below is a recommended workflow (cross-platform) to flash the Ubuntu image to a microSD card.

3.1 Requirements & Preparations​

• 
  
• A good quality microSD card (e.g. UHS speed class, 16 GB or more; 32–64 GB or higher preferred)
• A reliable SD card reader
• A host computer (Windows, Linux, or macOS) with admin / root access
• Backup any data on the SD card (flashing will wipe it)

3.2 Tools You Can Use​

• 
  
• Raspberry Pi Imager (official tool) — supports selecting Ubuntu images and writing to SD. Ubuntu+1
• Balena Etcher (GUI) — widely used, cross-platform image flasher. Wikipedia+2balenaForums+2
• Linux CLI tools (e.g. dd, pv, xzcat)

3.3 Flashing Steps (Example with Raspberry Pi Imager)​

1. 
   
2. Install Raspberry Pi Imager on your host (from raspberrypi.com). Wolf Paulus' Journal+1
3. Launch the Imager, then “Choose OS” → “Ubuntu 24.04 LTS (Server / Desktop)” (or relevant)
4. Insert the microSD in your computer; in Imager, “Choose Storage” → select the microSD card
5. Optionally configure settings (hostname, Wi-Fi, SSH keys) before writing
6. Click Write / Flash and wait for completion
7. After flashing, Imager often does a basic verification step
8. Safely eject/unmount the microSD card

(If using Etcher, the workflow is: select .img (or .img.xz) file, select target device, click “Flash”, then optionally validate.)

3.4 Alternative: dd (Linux CLI)​

# Example assuming image is ubuntu-24.04.2-preinstalled-server-arm64+raspi.img.xz
xzcat ubuntu-24.04.2-preinstalled-server-arm64+raspi.img.xz | sudo dd of=/dev/sdX bs=4M status=progress conv=fsync
sync

• Replace /dev/sdX with your SD card device (e.g. /dev/sdb)
• Be very careful: writing to the wrong device can overwrite your host disk
• After dd, run sync to ensure all writes complete

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4. Validating / Verifying the Flash & Contents​

After flashing, you should perform several validation steps to confirm integrity and correctness:

4.1 Check Hash / Checksum (Before Flashing)​

• Download the SHA256SUMS or other checksum file from the Ubuntu image download page (if provided)
• Compute checksum on your local download (e.g. sha256sum ubuntu-…img.xz)
• Compare with the published value — they must match

This ensures your downloaded image wasn’t corrupted.

4.2 Post-flash Verification by Imager / Etcher​

• Tools like Raspberry Pi Imager or Etcher often perform a verification (read-back) step after writing
• Etcher in particular may show messages like “Validation failed at 99%” in some cases. Some users report that despite that error, the write was actually successful. balenaForums+2GitHub+2
• But do not rely solely on GUI verification: you should do further checks.

4.3 Manual Inspection of Partitions / Files​

Mount the partitions on the microSD card (on your host) and inspect:

• You should see a small FAT32 / boot partition (often ~256 MB) containing files like config.txt, cmdline.txt, boot.scr
• You should see a larger Linux partition (ext4) with directories /etc/, /usr/, /lib/, etc.
• In the boot partition, open config.txt and check that required Pi boot directives are present
• Optionally, open a shell and check file integrity, e.g.:

ls /media/boot
ls /media/rootfs/etc
# Compare file sizes, inspect critical files like /etc/fstab, /etc/hostname

4.4 Full Read-back / Byte-by-byte Compare (Optional, Advanced)​

A more rigorous method is to re-read the entire SD card and compare to the original image:

# Suppose your original (uncompressed) image is ubuntu-…img
sudo dd if=/dev/sdX bs=4M | sha256sum > sdcard_hash.txt
sha256sum ubuntu-…img > image_hash.txt
# Compare the two hashes; they should match

You can also do a binary cmp between the image and the card (if sizes align). This is more time-consuming but is the most certain validation.

4.5 Use “f3” or “h2testw” or Similar Tools to Test Card Integrity​

• On Linux, f3 (Fight Fake Flash) can test the real capacity and detect fake cards. Some users in forums recommend using f3 after flashing to ensure the SD card is not faked or failing. Reddit
• On Windows, h2testw is commonly used to test for mismatch between advertised vs real capacity

These tools test actual read/write operations across the full card and can reveal bad sectors or fake size.

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5. Booting & First-time Setup on Raspberry Pi 5​

Once the microSD is written and validated:

1. Insert the microSD card into the Raspberry Pi 5
2. Connect monitor / HDMI, keyboard, power supply (use a good-quality power source)
3. Power on — the Pi should boot into the Ubuntu 24.04 first-time configuration (user setup, localization, etc.) Ubuntu+1
4. After first boot, run updates:
   

   sudo apt update
   sudo apt upgrade

5. (Optional) If you want Ubuntu MATE desktop flavor, you can install it via:
   

   sudo apt install ubuntu-mate-desktop

   Then select MATE session at login. Ubuntu MATE Community+1

Known Caveats / Bug Fixes for Pi 5 + Ubuntu 24.04​

• Some users have reported boot problems. One workaround is to flash the SD card via Raspberry Pi Imager and then manually edit config.txt (on the FAT boot partition) before booting. Raspberry Pi Forums+2MakerSpace+2
• If you intend to boot from NVMe or USB instead of SD, you may need to modify config.txt parameters (e.g. dtparam=pciex1) and ensure proper device labeling. YouTube+2Wolf Paulus' Journal+2
• The official 24.04 image had some early boot issues; later point releases (e.g. 24.04.2) have addressed many of these. MakerSpace+2Ubuntu+2
• Performance: Ubuntu 24.04 on Pi 5 is fairly responsive; reviews note smooth desktop and video workloads. OMG! Ubuntu

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6. Sample Workflow Summary (Concise)​

Here’s a condensed reference checklist:

1. Download Ubuntu 24.04 (Desktop or Server) for Raspberry Pi (arm64)
2. Verify checksum of download
3. Flash the image to microSD using Raspberry Pi Imager or dd
4. Let the tool validate / perform read-back
5. Mount partitions and inspect files (boot partition, root FS)
6. (Optional) Do a full read-back hash compare or run f3 / h2testw
7. Insert card in Pi, power up, go through first-time setup
8. Update packages, install desired software
9. If boot issues arise, check / edit config.txt, confirm compatibility

 

[Flynn]

IMPORTANT ONCE YOU GET YOUR .EXE FOR WINDOWS.


Do I click the .exe and run it or just copy that to the micro sd card?

ChatGPT said:​

Great question — and this is the most common mistake beginners make.

Let’s make it crystal clear:

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What You Should Do​

You must RUN the .exe on your Windows computer — do NOT copy it to the microSD card.

Here’s why:

• The .exe file is the installer for the Raspberry Pi Imager program, not the operating system.
• It installs the tool that will download and flash the actual Ubuntu image onto your microSD card.
• Simply copying it to the SD card does nothing — the Pi can’t run Windows .exe files.

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Step-by-Step (The Correct Process)​

1. Download the file
   Example:
   
   
   <span><span>rpi-imager-1.8.5.exe<br></span></span>
2. Double-click it (or right-click → Run as Administrator).
   
   • This launches the installer.
   • Follow the simple on-screen steps (Next → Next → Finish).
3. After it installs, open it from your Start Menu → “Raspberry Pi Imager.”
4. Inside Imager:
   
   • Click Choose Device → Raspberry Pi 5
   • Click Choose OS → Other general-purpose OS → Ubuntu → Ubuntu Core 24 (64-bit)
   • Click Choose Storage → your micro SD card
   • Click Next → Yes to confirm erase
   • Wait for “Write Successful”
5. When it’s done, remove the SD card from your PC and insert it into your Raspberry Pi.
6. Power on your Pi — it will boot Ubuntu automatically.

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Don’t Do This​

• Don’t drag or copy the .exe file to the microSD card.
• Don’t try to open the .exe on the Raspberry Pi — it’s for Windows only.

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In short:

Click and run the .exe on Windows.
It will open the Imager app, which then writes the real OS image to your SD card.