Ubuntu 10.10 just released and it utilizes the 2.6.35 kernel, this is a good bit newer than the 2.6.32 kernel Ubuntu 10.04 uses. While there are a number of reasons to upgrade your kernel, the primary reason for doing so is typically for improved hardware support. Newer kernels contain more (and sometimes better) drivers than older kernels. This can cause older hardware that either didn't work (or required lots of hacking to work) to start "just working". Some of the highlights from the .33, .34, and .35 kernel releases include:
- brtfs file system support
- Improved FOSS graphics drivers (Intel, nVidia, and ATI)
- Trim support (For SSDs)
- Support for a number of new touch panels
- Much, much more
As with all Ubuntu releases, 10.04 will "play it safe" and stick with the 2.6.32 kernel. When I searched around for how to install the 2.6.35 kernel on 10.04 I found lots of guides on
compiling it from source, but nothing on easily installing it. If you just want a generic 2.6.35 kernel on your 10.04 system there is no reason to go through all that headache. Before you follow my next few steps
please be warned that upgrading your kernel does have the off chance of breaking things! Also know though, that your older kernel will still be installed should 2.6.35 have some problem with your hardware setup. To easily install a generic 2.6.35 kernel on Ubuntu 10.04 run the following in a terminal while you have an internet connection:
All Architectures:mkdir ~/KernelDebs
cd ~/KernelDebs
wget http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/main/l/linux/linux-headers-2.6.35-22_2.6.35-22.35_all.deb
sudo dpkg -i linux-headers-2.6.35-22_2.6.35-22.35_all.deb32 Bit:wget http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/main/l/linux/linux-headers-2.6.35-22-generic_2.6.35-22.35_i386.deb
sudo dpkg -i linux-headers-2.6.35-22-generic_2.6.35-22.35_i386.debwget http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/main/l/linux/linux-image-2.6.35-22-generic_2.6.35-22.35_i386.debsudo dpkg -i linux-image-2.6.35-22-generic_2.6.35-22.35_i386.deb64 Bit:wget http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/main/l/linux/linux-headers-2.6.35-22-generic_2.6.35-22.35_amd64.deb
sudo dpkg -i linux-headers-2.6.35-22-generic_2.6.35-22.35_amd64.debwget http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/main/l/linux/linux-image-2.6.35-22-generic_2.6.35-22.35_amd64.deb
sudo dpkg -i linux-image-2.6.35-22-generic_2.6.35-22.35_amd64.debIt is just that easy! Reboot and select your new kernel (which should be the default option) from your grub menu. Enjoy.
~Jeff Hoogland
Don't forget that you will lose automatic kernel update from Ubuntu update management with that kind of hack...
ReplyDeleteTrue. Good for people to know.
ReplyDeleteI was about to do this and the question of automatic kernel updates came up also. Is there a way to do this and get automatic kernel updates also.
ReplyDeleteNo, just like with compiling from source you will have to watch when the Maverick kernel updates and then manually install the new one.
ReplyDelete"Is there a way to do this and get automatic kernel updates also."
ReplyDeleteNot that I'm aware of.
If you manually install a (kernel,driver,or app) you become maintainer of them and compatibility is not tested.
Ubuntu maintains there repos.
According to the source of the deb, it is in the Ubuntu security repo. As long as this repository is enabled the system will pull in updates to the 2.6.35 kernel as they are added to the repository.
ReplyDeleteYou probably could have enabled the repo (if it isn't by default) and apt-get installed the 2.6.35 kernel..
@FEWT The repo I am pulling the .deb from is the Maverick repo. Meaning adding it to your system will essentially upgrade you from 10.04 to 10.10
ReplyDeletehmm, you may still be able to get away with it if you only enable the Maverick security repo. May be worth testing.
ReplyDeleteCan't you just install one from here:
ReplyDeletehttp://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/
As I have done in the past?
You can Kevin, but notice that that last "lucid" kernel there is the 2.6.35-rc1
ReplyDeleteYou can now do this more easily, if you install the following packages, from the 10.04.2 repository:
ReplyDeletelinux-headers-generic-lts-backport-maverick
linux-image-generic-lts-backport-maverick
Both are metapackages that depend upon the latest 2.6.35 kernel available, so updates to those metapackages will result in kernel updates.