current Ubuntu installation media (ubiquity , calamares) do have difficulties with manual partition and ecryption (luks + lvm), while the server installation (subiquity) works well.
Therefore:
If the 24.04 desktop installers can't be used for some forms of partition layout, is installing with the server installer and subsequently installing a *-desktop package equivalent to the regular desktops? Or are there any subtile differences?
ubiquity, but uses theubuntu-desktop-installerwhich is a front-end forsubiquity(as used by Ubuntu Server). Theubiquityinstaller was last used with Ubuntu 22.10 Desktop as default for Ubuntu Desktop (though legacy ISOs with it were available for 23.04 & 23.10).calamareswill default to GA, but 24.04.2 will default to HWE).. Differences though are minor, eg. kernel stack I'm using as example here.