Google Compute Engine Ubuntu 17.04 zesty does no longer have a Release file

Question

I have just created a new Google Cloud Compute Engine server using Ubuntu 17.04 as the boot disk:

Ubuntu 17.04
amd64 zesty image built on 2017-12-08

Before doing anything else, if I try to run sudo apt-get update I receive the following errors:

Ign:1 http://europe-west1.gce.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu zesty InRelease
Ign:2 http://europe-west1.gce.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu zesty-updates 

InRelease
Ign:3 http://europe-west1.gce.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu zesty-backports InRelease
Ign:4 http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu zesty-security InRelease             
Err:5 http://europe-west1.gce.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu zesty Release        
  404  Not Found [IP: 35.195.241.40 80]
Err:6 http://europe-west1.gce.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu zesty-updates Release
  404  Not Found [IP: 35.195.241.40 80]
Err:7 http://europe-west1.gce.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu zesty-backports Release
  404  Not Found [IP: 35.195.241.40 80]
Err:8 http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu zesty-security Release               
  404  Not Found [IP: 91.189.88.161 80]
Hit:9 http://archive.canonical.com/ubuntu zesty InRelease                    
Reading package lists... Done                          
E: The repository 'http://europe-west1.gce.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu zesty Release' does no longer have 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://europe-west1.gce.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu zesty-updates Release' does no longer have 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://europe-west1.gce.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu zesty-backports Release' does no longer have 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://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu zesty-security Release' does no longer have 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.

Looking at http://europe-west1.gce.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ I can see updates from today less than an hour ago.

Is this an error on Google's side or have I done something wrong?

Answer 1

I confirm that "E: The repository 'http://ru.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu zesty Release' does no longer have a Release file."

Solved as proposed before by heroin in the recipe https://smyl.es/how-to-fix-ubuntudebian-apt-get-404-not-found-package-repository-errors-saucy-raring-quantal-oneiric-natty/ .

Run this command below on your server and it will replace all of the archive.ubuntu.com and security.ubuntu.com package repository URLs with old-releases.ubuntu.com

sudo sed -i -e 's/archive.ubuntu.com\|security.ubuntu.com/old-releases.ubuntu.com/g' /etc/apt/sources.list

Unfortunately this sed command will not work for you if you have selected a national mirror (like us.archive.ubuntu.com for updates. Then one can update strings in the file /etc/apt/sources.list changing all entries like http://*.archive.ubuntu.com and http://*.security.ubuntu.com to the http://old-releases.ubuntu.com manually in a text editor,

sudo nano /etc/apt/sources.list

or

sudo vi /etc/apt/sources.list

For example, your http://europe-west1.gce.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu zesty InRelease become http://old-releases.ubuntu.com/ubuntu zesty InRelease and so on.

Here is my updated file /etc/apt/sources.list:

# deb cdrom:[Kubuntu 17.04 _Zesty Zapus_ - Release amd64 (20170412)]/ zesty main multiverse restricted universe

# See http://help.ubuntu.com/community/UpgradeNotes for how to upgrade to
# newer versions of the distribution.
deb http://old-releases.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ zesty main restricted
# deb-src http://old-releases.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ zesty main restricted

## Major bug fix updates produced after the final release of the
## distribution.
deb http://old-releases.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ zesty-updates main restricted
# deb-src http://old-releases.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ zesty-updates main restricted

## N.B. software from this repository is ENTIRELY UNSUPPORTED by the Ubuntu
## team. Also, please note that software in universe WILL NOT receive any
## review or updates from the Ubuntu security team.
deb http://old-releases.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ zesty universe
# deb-src http://old-releases.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ zesty universe
deb http://old-releases.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ zesty-updates universe
# deb-src http://old-releases.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ zesty-updates universe

## N.B. software from this repository is ENTIRELY UNSUPPORTED by the Ubuntu 
## team, and may not be under a free licence. Please satisfy yourself as to 
## your rights to use the software. Also, please note that software in 
## multiverse WILL NOT receive any review or updates from the Ubuntu
## security team.
deb http://old-releases.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ zesty multiverse
# deb-src http://old-releases.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ zesty multiverse
deb http://old-releases.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ zesty-updates multiverse
# deb-src http://old-releases.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ zesty-updates multiverse

## N.B. software from this repository may not have been tested as
## extensively as that contained in the main release, although it includes
## newer versions of some applications which may provide useful features.
## Also, please note that software in backports WILL NOT receive any review
## or updates from the Ubuntu security team.
deb http://old-releases.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ zesty-backports main restricted universe multiverse
# deb-src http://old-releases.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ zesty-backports main restricted universe multiverse

## Uncomment the following two lines to add software from Canonical's
## 'partner' repository.
## This software is not part of Ubuntu, but is offered by Canonical and the
## respective vendors as a service to Ubuntu users.
# deb http://archive.canonical.com/ubuntu zesty partner
# deb-src http://archive.canonical.com/ubuntu zesty partner

deb http://old-releases.ubuntu.com/ubuntu zesty-security main restricted
# deb-src http://old-releases.ubuntu.com/ubuntu zesty-security main restricted
deb http://old-releases.ubuntu.com/ubuntu zesty-security universe
# deb-src http://old-releases.ubuntu.com/ubuntu zesty-security universe
deb http://old-releases.ubuntu.com/ubuntu zesty-security multiverse
# deb-src http://old-releases.ubuntu.com/ubuntu zesty-security multiverse

Answer 2

17.04 is now end of life as of January 13, 2018. You will need to move to a newer version or use a long term stable version: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Releases

Answer 3

Zesty does no longer have a release file, indeed "END OF LIFE CYCLE "

I had the same problem, the solution is in this link, it works for me...

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/EOLUpgrades

Hope my answer would help.