Ubuntu – Update of latest kernel

kernel

I'm quite new to Ubuntu;
I read the following on this page:

How to update kernel to the latest mainline version without any Distro-upgrade?

"The latest kernel version any user is supposed to use in Ubuntu is updated automatically via the Update Manager, so no action is normally required by user regarding kernel upgrades."

By "updated automatically" and "no action is required" does this mean that the kernel installs itself in the background without me knowing (sounds more like something that Windows would do, not Linux) or is it supposed to appear in the Update Manager, then I click on "Install now" to install it?

Currently my Update manager tells me there's a new kernel to be installed, "Complete generic Linux kernel and headers" and "Ubuntu base" totaling 66MB.
If that's normal then I shall install them.
Thanks.

Best Answer

Comparing with mainline kernels, you don't need to pick a kernel version or manually download the deb files. That part is handled by Ubuntu. The only action left is installing the upgrades - for which, usually you have to manually allow the Update Manager to install updates. I'd modify that to "extra action" - nothing more than you'd need for any other package.

You can turn on unattended upgrades, then the kernel should be updated for security upgrades without asking you, but that's neither here nor there.

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Ubuntu – How to install a newer kernel

You can install the mainline kernel from the ppa

http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/

Or you can compile it yourself

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Kernel/Compile

The problem you are going to have with those options is twofold

Neither the mainline kernel or compiling a newer kernel are going to have the standard set of patches Ubuntu applies, most notable is Apparmor.
Any packages that depend on the kernel, Virtualbox, nvidia, wireless, etc, might not work.

You would need to debug those things yourself or wait for the Kernel team to release an updated kernel. Support for the mainline kernel or custom kernel is limited, more so for third party packages such as virtualbox , nvidia drivers, etc.

I am not trying to either encourage or discourage you, just pointing you in the right direction. I have been using a custom kernel on gentoo for almost 2 years now, but doing so requires a moderate amount of effort on my part.

From the kernel team FAQ

The mainline kernels builds are produced for debugging purposes and therefore come with no support. Use them at your own risk.

Your other option is to build a custom kernel. This is also poorly supported and requires some advanced knowledge

See https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Kernel/Compile

Building and using a custom kernel will make it very difficult to get support for your system. While it is a learning experience to compile your own kernel, you will not be allowed to file bugs on the custom-built kernel (if you do, they will be Rejected without further explanation).

Your best option may be to install 12.04. Be warned it is in beta at the moment, you might want to wait for the release.

You may be better off filing a bug report

How do I report a bug?

Ubuntu – How to update kernel to the latest mainline version without any Distro-upgrade

The simplest set of instructions I always used for kernel upgrade / downgrade are by ubuntuforums.org user by the name of lykwydchykyn (url modified by me for this post):

Go here: http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/

Download 3 (maybe 4) debs to a folder somewhere:

linux-headers-VERSION-NUMBER_all.deb
linux-headers-VERSION-NUMBER_amd64.deb
linux-image-VERSION-NUMBER_amd64.deb
linux-image-extra-VERSION-NUMBER_amd64.deb   # if available

Install the debs with whatever package manager front-end you use (is gdebi still around?), or use these commands:
```
cd /path/to/folder/where/you/put/the/debs
sudo dpkg -i *.deb
```

Sources:

Best Answer

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Ubuntu – How to update kernel to the latest mainline version without any Distro-upgrade

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