upgrading the kernel in Debian/Linux

nthillaiarasu · 12-07-2007, 03:37 AM

The latest stable kernel is 2.6.17.6
To check your current kernel version

uname -a

Upgrading the Linux kernel to 2.6.17.6 (the latest)

apt-get install kernel-image-2.6.17-6-686 kernel-source-2.6.17 kernel-headers-2.6.17-6-686

cd /usr/src
tar xjvf kernel-source-2.6.17.tar.bz2

rm linux

ln -s kernel-source-2.6.17 linux

Reboot. As Grub starts, you should see the latest 2.6.17.6 kernel version listed in the boot options! You are now using the latest kernel!

pljvaldez · 12-07-2007, 03:24 PM

Actually, the latest stable kernel in Etch (the current stable repository as of Dec 7, 2007) is 2.6.18-5-686. The package has been renamed to linux-image-2.6.18-5-686. You don't need the source, and you only need the headers if you're going to compile something from source or install the third party graphics drivers.