Kernel Upgrade Guide

Linux is a kernel, the core of an operating system, rather than a complete operating system.

How to Upgrade the Linux Kernel on Various Distributions

Disclaimer

Upgrade the Linux kernel only to address security or hardware issues. If the system crashes, you may need to recover the whole system. Most Linux distributions ship an up-to-date kernel. Upgrading keeps the previous kernel.

Note: Do not upgrade the kernel manually unless you need specific driver support. Hardware or security issues may require an upgrade. You can roll back to the older kernel from your system's recovery menu.

Preparation

Check the running kernel version with uname -r before upgrading. dae uses eBPF and requires kernel version 5.17 or later.

Upgrade methods vary by distribution. This guide covers Armbian, Debian-based, Red Hat and Fedora-based, and Arch-based distributions.

Upgrade to a BTF Kernel on Armbian Linux

Precompiled kernels with BTF enabled are available for Armbian.

See daeuniverse/armbian-btf-kernel.

Upgrade the Kernel on Debian-based Linux

Debian-based distributions, including Armbian, can install a specific kernel version. Search for the version you want, then install it:

sudo

# Sync databases.
sudo apt update
# Search available kernel versions.
apt-cache search ^linux-image
# Install specific image.
sudo apt install <specific-linux-image>

root

# Sync databases.
apt update
# Search available kernel versions.
apt-cache search ^linux-image
# Install specific image.
apt install <specific-linux-image>

Reboot to use the installed kernel, then check its version:

sudo

sudo reboot

root

reboot

uname -r

For Debian only, use the following commands for an aggressive upgrade to the latest kernel.

Warning: Debian's latest officially supported kernel is in unstable (codename SID). This is a rolling development distribution with the latest packages, not a fixed release. Upgrading to this kernel may introduce breaking changes. Proceed at your own risk.

Reference: https://www.itsfoss.net/installing-linux-5-14-kernel-on-debian-11/

Note: If you are not using Debian 11, change Pin: release a=bullseye below. For example, use Pin: release a=buster for Debian 10.

sudo

# Add unstable source
cat <<EOF | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/unstable.list
deb http://deb.debian.org/debian unstable main contrib non-free
deb-src http://deb.debian.org/debian unstable main contrib non-free
EOF

# Create apt preferences
cat <<EOF | sudo tee /etc/apt/preferences
Package: *
Pin: release a=bullseye
Pin-Priority: 500

Package: linux-image-amd64
Pin: release a=unstable
Pin-Priority: 1000

Package: *
Pin: release a=unstable
Pin-Priority: 100
EOF

# Sync databases.
sudo apt update

# Perform full dist-upgrade
sudo apt dist-upgrade

root

# Add unstable source
cat <<EOF | tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/unstable.list
deb http://deb.debian.org/debian unstable main contrib non-free
deb-src http://deb.debian.org/debian unstable main contrib non-free
EOF

# Create apt preferences
cat <<EOF | tee /etc/apt/preferences
Package: *
Pin: release a=bullseye
Pin-Priority: 500

Package: linux-image-amd64
Pin: release a=unstable
Pin-Priority: 1000

Package: *
Pin: release a=unstable
Pin-Priority: 100
EOF

# Sync databases.
apt update

# Perform full dist-upgrade
apt dist-upgrade

Reboot to use the installed kernel, then check its version:

sudo

sudo reboot

root

reboot

uname -r

Upgrade the Kernel on Red Hat and Fedora Linux

Fedora, Red Hat, and Red Hat-based distributions can install a kernel from their repositories. Fedora and Red Hat users can install a specific version. Install the kernel, then reboot:

sudo

sudo yum install kernel

root

yum install kernel

Reboot to use the installed kernel, then check its version:

sudo

sudo reboot

root

reboot

uname -r

Upgrade the Kernel on Arch-based Linux

Arch and Arch-based distributions offer several kernels and regular security patches. You can upgrade through the update manager or with pacman.

Manjaro and other Arch-based distributions often provide kernel updates through their update managers. Running the system updater checks for the latest kernels. Alternatively, search for and install a kernel with pacman:

sudo

# Search available kernel images.
pacman -Ss ^linux$
# Install specific kernel image.
sudo pacman -S <specific-linux-image>

root

# Search available kernel images.
pacman -Ss ^linux$
# Install specific kernel image.
pacman -S <specific-linux-image>

After installation, reboot and check the kernel version to confirm the upgrade:

sudo

sudo reboot

root

reboot

uname -r

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Source: dae upstream · AGPL-3.0 license.