If you’re using a Linux distribution like Ubuntu or Fedora, you’re also using the Linux kernel, the core that actually makes your distribution a Linux distribution. Windows also has its own kernel that its operating systems use, but Linux is highly modular and therefore the kernel is more commonly discussed as a lot can be done with it. For example, you could take the kernel, patch it up with lots of fixes, tweak other settings, strip out everything you won’t need, and then replace your original kernel with your final product, and it will run just fine (assuming it was done right). Being able to simply replace a part with something else without issue is what makes Linux great.
But your distribution constantly asks you to update your kernel. Why should you do this when it’s been running just fine?
Security Fixes
Virtually every single kernel update will have some sort of security fixes that close up holes that have been discovered. This is probably one of the most important reasons to update your kernel, as you’ll always be safer with a patched kernel. If a hacker manages to get into the kernel, a lot of damage can be done or the system simply crashes. Those are inconveniences that are easily avoided with up-to-date kernels.
Stability Improvements
Not only do kernel updates bring with it security fixes, but it can fix other issues that could possibly make the system crash through regular use. Some people argue that constantly updating the kernel actually decreases the overall system stability because you’ll be running on a kernel that you’ve never used, so you cannot assume that it will work as well as the kernel you were previously running on. While this is also true, that margin is rather slim, and only people who run servers or other important systems really need to be cautious. For most normal consumer-type users, updating your kernel outweighs those issues by a lot.
Updated Drivers
While those were the updates you get with minor kernel updates (say 3.2.0 to 3.2.1), let’s check out some improvements you can commonly see with major updates (think 3.2 to 3.3). First of all, every major kernel update is guaranteed to include the latest open source drivers for all of your devices. Out of all the drivers being updated, the graphics drivers are probably those that you’ll notice the most, as every refresh usually adds a bit more performance. While it’s always possible to go the proprietary route
How To Install Proprietary Graphics Drivers In Ubuntu, Fedora, & Mint [Linux]
How To Install Proprietary Graphics Drivers In Ubuntu, Fedora, & Mint [Linux]
Most of the time, you'll be fine with open-source software on Linux. But if you want real gaming and graphical power, you'll need proprietary drivers. Here's how to get them.
Read More
, knowing that the open source drivers keep getting better and better is good too.
New Kernel Functions
Occasionally, major updates to the kernel in Linux also brings some new functions. These functions are basically parts of the kernel that programs can use to do some sort of task or operation. Additionally, other functions may have also changed. You most likely won’t break your system if you don’t update your kernel for this exact reason, but sooner or later you’ll find programs and other packages that require a certain version of the kernel. It’s best to have the latest one so you know you won’t come across that issue.
Increased Speed
Last but not least, many major updates to the kernel improve the overall speed of the system. While some changes can be very subtle, others aren’t and can make a big difference, such as the famed 200-line patch that increased the overall productivity of a Linux machine by quite a bit. There are even some crazier changes such as this, where Linux can run off of zero CPU cores. If you’re a speed demon (and I know many of you who use Google Chrome are), this is a good way to get a bit more juice out of your hardware.
Conclusion
In the end, it’s very worthwhile to update your kernel for Linux whenever you can. For consumer-type users, the benefits that come along with it far outweigh the risks. Additionally, each kernel that you update to will have been tested for at least a couple of days by developers and test users to ensure that it runs without a hitch. In case your system does have a problem with it, you should be able to choose a previous kernel from the boot menu so you can get back into your system. Then you can delete the offending kernel and make a choice of staying with your current kernel or waiting until a working update appears.
Do you have your own policies for updating the Linux kernel? Do you think distributions should always use the absolute latest or should they lag a bit for stability reasons? Should there be major kernel updates during a release (like Fedora does, or used to do) or only minor updates (like Ubuntu does)? Let us know in the comments!
Image Credit: maistora, Human hand put last stone at the pyramid via Shutterstock, Forrestal_PL, Express Monorail
I feel that because my Kernel is two years old and should be replaced with an updated Kernel for android Samsung Galaxy J700T Nougat v7.1.1, because of worn down magnetic field underlay was well over used and this Kernel is constantly overheating and causes the ?phone apps and controls to freeze up. What a pain!
I am an old lady who has no grandchildren, like you, to help me understand the workings of computers, so many things I read are very confusing thus my questions go unanswered. I am in favor of freeware so was trying to find info on Linux that I could grasp, which as usual was only a bit helpful. Your article was a pleasant surprise. It was written so I actually understood it! Thank you.
A kernel update won’t usually add a feature that you can see directly, but they often add new functionality that apps can take advantage of. So, in order to stay up to date with applications, it will sometimes be necessary to update the kernel as well
Thanks,
Bhargavi,
Red Hat Certified Engineer @ http://www.catchexperts.com/linux/online-training
If you are a speed demon and still use Chrome then you're not so much of a demon :) Since FireFox 38 the Fox is way ahead
I had to admit i didnt know that one .thanks
Good article and I agree one should upgrade the Kernel but I have found that not all upgrades go without a hitch. So it is good to be able to revert back to an earlier version, as you can in Ubuntu. So Ubuntu's option of minor updates are a good solution.
In my point of view ,we should update a kernel.because we are using server Os , so we must have a security, Because nowadays so many hackers are world.lot of data 's are corrupted.So many MNC firms are faith the linux Os.So we should update a kernel
I think server admins always have to ask themselves the "stability vs. security" question whenever there's a possible kernel update available. A lot of times, if the security issue being fixed isn't severe enough, they'll choose stability and not update.
@Danny Stieben.
I may be the unluckiest man on the southern hemisphere, but i learnt my lesson.
Once i installed Nvidia / Virtualbox , i lock down the kernel upgrades until the end of life of my distro...
Sorry for my shoddy "learnt", i meant "learned"...
One final word : At very few occasions i've ever felt compelled to upgrade the kernel (maybe when cgroups were all the rage...)...
Not shoddy at all old bean!
One way to avoid having issues with kernel updates is to stay on mailing lists or github threads of packages you have installed to make sure any kernel extensions that get rebuilt after a kernel upgrade will work properly.
For instance, I have ZFS for my root partition on my Thinkpad running Arch. This is also often an issue for people using NVIDIA video cards. The kernel upgrades happen frequently, as Arch is a rolling distro - faster than ZFS on Linux can keep up with them at times. So I monitor the ZFS on Linux GitHub page to see if other people have had issues using a newer kernel with the ZoL version I'm using at the moment.
Case in point, Kernel 4.13.3 depreciated some code that ZFS previously used, which prevented DKMS from enabling ZFS, which in turn prevented mkinitcpio from building a ZFS-capable initramfs. If I hadn't stuck to 4.12 kernel, my computer would not have been able to boot!
I found the bug in the ZoL github page and saw that there was a patch for version 7.3, but that it had also been fixed in 7.4. I held the kernel at 4.12 and waited for ZoL 7.4 to come down stream before I upgraded my kernel.
Nice article that only describes positive effects... for the Negative effects, please try to update your kernel often and see how dkms bails out, drivers introduces regressions (intel anyone?), filesystems reacts strangely not to mention the infernal duo soundcard/PulseIdiot (TM).
I actually haven't had those problems yet. I also don't change a whole lot on a system-wide level, so maybe that's why I haven't had those problems? I know servers should try to resist updating often, but usually desktops don't have issues.
It would be nice to also include instructions on how to upgrade the kernel.
Your kernel should automatically be updated along with all other packages, it really just depends on each distribution's update system. Writing instructions wouldn't help since there's absolutely nothing extra that needs to be done.
In case to interests you, if you want to know the exact kernel version, you can open a terminal console and run "uname -a" (without quotes).
you know one thing only linux operating system are update a kernel other platform are possible .but not beyond the linux
I made a guide showing how to install a Linux kernel. http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1872537
I made a guide showing how to install a Linux kernel.
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1872537
Thanks for sharing!
The security risks are not too munch in linux. keeping in mind that there are less than 1% linux users, you are relatively safe as someone exploiting kernel in linux is very very remote.
but its always a good practice to be updated
I agree. Plus more than half of all servers run Linux, so there is at least some reason for hackers to try to crack down on Linux systems. It'll just be hard for them ;)
With my Ubuntu install I have Ubuntu Tweak installed, and usually after each kernel update I delete the old one completely using Tweak. But that's only after I have used the new kernel for a bit, and made sure that it hasn't broken anything on my system.
I usually do the same after I accumulate two new ones. I'm surprised Ubuntu doesn't work like Fedora in that it only keeps the last three kernels that you installed and instead keeps all of them.
Nice article and good question at the end. However I would like to add another option of Debian way of updating systems. In my language they actually test each and everything to the limit of breaking up before updating-- ahahaha.
I personally like it Ubuntu way of updating-minor updates. Not because I don't like Fedora way of using bleeding edge technology -but because my job leaves me with very little time for experimenting.
Should distributions use latest updates or look for stability? Each way of update (slow, moderate and fast as in Debian, Ubuntu and Fedora) have their own pros and cons. And it's very much dependent on the philosophy of particular distribution.
Interesting response, Anshu. I do agree that it's good that each distribution follows its own ideas on this matter...that way we can choose what we want!