How to install / upgrade to Linux Kernel 4.13 in Ubuntu 16.04

How to install / upgrade to Linux Kernel 4.13 in Ubuntu 16.04

A Linux kernel is the essential part of any Linux operating system. It is responsible for resource allocation, low-level hardware interfaces, security, simple communications, basic file system management, and more. Linux is actually a clone of the UNIX operating system. It is geared towards POSIX and Single UNIX Specification compliances. This article will cover the ground on how to install or upgrade to Linux Kernel 4.13 in Ubuntu 16.04.


Installation procedure

Before updating the kernel, check the kernel of your system by using the uname command.

root@linuxhelp:~# uname -r
4.10.0-041300rc1-generic

Choose any directory in your system and place all your deb files in that directory.

root@linuxhelp:~# cd /tmp
root@linuxhelp:/tmp# 

Now download the set of Linux kernel to your system by executing the wget command.

root@linuxhelp:/tmp# wget kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v4.13-rc1/linux-headers-4.13.0-041300rc1_4.13.0-041300rc1.201707151931_all.deb
--2016-08-01 13:21:13--  http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v4.13.0-rcl/linux-headers-4.13.0-040500_4.12.1-040500.201603140130_all.deb
Resolving kernel.ubuntu.com (kernel.ubuntu.com)... 91.189.94.216
Connecting to kernel.ubuntu.com (kernel.ubuntu.com)|91.189.94.216|:80... connected.
HTTP request sent, awaiting response... 200 OK
Length: 9772348 (9.3M) [application/x-debian-package]
Saving to: ‘ linux-headers-4.13.0-040500_4.12.1-040500.201603140130_all.deb’ 

100%[=======================================> ] 97,72,348    396KB/s   in 17s    

2016-08-01 13:21:31 (554 KB/s) - ‘ linux-headers-4.13.0-040500_4.13.0-040500.201603140130_all.deb’  saved [9772348/9772348]


root@linuxhelp:/tmp# wget kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v4.13-rc1/linux-headers-4.13.0-041300rc1-generic_4.13.0-041300rc1.201707151931_amd64.deb
--2016-08-01 13:23:00--  http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v4.5-wily/linux-headers-4.13.0-040500-generic_4.13.0-040500.201603140130_amd64.deb
Resolving kernel.ubuntu.com (kernel.ubuntu.com)... 91.189.94.216
Connecting to kernel.ubuntu.com (kernel.ubuntu.com)|91.189.94.216|:80... connected.
HTTP request sent, awaiting response... 200 OK
Length: 780458 (762K) [application/x-debian-package]
Saving to: ‘ linux-headers-4.12.1-040500-generic_4.12.1-040500.201603140130_amd64.deb’ 

100%[=======================================> ] 7,80,458     251KB/s   in 3.0s   

2016-08-01 13:23:03 (251 KB/s) - ‘ linux-headers-4.13.0-040500-generic_4.13.0-040500.201603140130_amd64.deb’  saved [780458/780458]

root@linuxhelp:/tmp# wget kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v4.13-rc1/linux-image-4.13.0-041300rc1-generic_4.13.0-041300rc1.201707151931_amd64.deb
Resolving kernel.ubuntu.com (kernel.ubuntu.com)... 91.189.94.216
Connecting to kernel.ubuntu.com (kernel.ubuntu.com)|91.189.94.216|:80... connected.
.
.
2016-08-01 13:25:15 (478 KB/s) - ‘ linux-image-4.13.0-040500-generic_4.13.0-040500.201603140130_amd64.deb’  saved [56160474/56160474]

After downloading the files, install the debian files to the target system using the dpkg command.

root@linuxhelp:/tmp# dpkg -i *.deb
Selecting previously unselected package linux-headers-4.5.0-040500.
(Reading database ... 165882 files and directories currently installed.)
Preparing to unpack linux-headers-4.13.0-040500_4.13.0-040500.201603140130_all.deb ...
Unpacking linux-headers-4.13.0-040500 (4.5.0-040500.201603140130) ...
Selecting previously unselected package linux-headers-4.12.1-040500-generic.
.
.
Found memtest86+ image: /memtest86+.elf
Found memtest86+ image: /memtest86+.bin
done

The package is successfully installed in the system. Initialize the system by running the following command and the system automatically reboots.

root@linuxhelp:/tmp# init 6
The system is going down for reboot NOW!
root@linuxhelp:/tmp#

After restarting the system, check the kernel version by running the following command.

root@linuxhelp:~# uname -r
4.13.0-041300rc1-generic

The upgradation process of Linux kernel 4.13 in Ubuntu 16.04 is done successfully. The latest Linux Kernel includes new features, bug fixes and improve security.

FAQ
Q
Why is an LTS kernel marked as "stable" on the front page?
A
Long-term support ("LTS") kernels announced on the Releases page will be marked as "stable" on the front page if there are no other current stable kernel releases.
Q
Why are there files that are dated tomorrow?
A
All timestamps on kernel.org are in UTC (Coordinated Universal Time). If you live in the western hemisphere your local time lags behind UTC. Under Linux/Unix, type date -u to get the current time in UTC.
Q
Is Linux Kernel Free Software?
A
Linux kernel is released under GNU GPL version 2 and is therefore Free Software as defined by the Free Software Foundation. You may read the entire copy of the license in the COPYING file d
Q
Is there an RSS feed for the latest kernel version?
A
Yes, and you can find it at https://www.kernel.org/feeds/kdist.xml.
Q
How do I create an -rc kernel? I get "Reversed patch detected!"
A
"-rc kernel patches are generated from the base stable release. For example: to create the 2.6.14-rc5 kernel, you must: download 2.6.13 (not 2.6.13.4) and then apply the 2.6.14-rc5