Q. How do I upgrade Linux kernel? I would like to upgrade kernel w/o compiling from source code i.e. binary upgrade. How do I perform the actual upgrade of the kernel in Linux?
A. You need to compile kernel only if
=> You need custom made kernel for specific task such as embedded kernel
=> You need to apply specific patch to Linux
Upgrade of the kernel in Red Hat enterprise Linux version <= 4.x
If your system is registered with Red Hat Network (RHN), then you can use the up2date command as follows:
# up2date -f kernel
For SMP kernel (multi core or multiple CPU) use command:
# up2date -f kernel-smp
Upgrade of the kernel in Fedora Linux / CentOS / RHEL 5
Use yum command to upgrade kernel:
# yum update kernel
If you have downloaded RPM file use rpm command:
# rpm -ivh kernel*
Upgrade of the kernel in Debian or Ubuntu Linux
Use apt-get command. First find your kernel version:
$ uname -r
Next find available kernel images:
$ apt-cache search kernel-image
Now install kernel by explicitly specifying version number:
# apt-get install kernel-image-x.x.x-xx
OR
$ sudo apt-get install kernel-image-x.x.x-xx
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