Which linux kernel to use

Kernel

According to Wikipedia:

The Linux kernel is an open-source monolithic Unix-like computer operating system kernel.

Arch Linux is based on the Linux kernel. There are various alternative Linux kernels available for Arch Linux in addition to the latest stable kernel. This article lists some of the options available in the repositories with a brief description of each. There is also a description of patches that can be applied to the system’s kernel. The article ends with an overview of custom kernel compilation with links to various methods.

Kernel packages are installed onto the file system under /boot/ . To be able to boot into kernels, the boot loader has to be configured appropriately.

Contents

Officially supported kernels

Community support on forum and bug reporting is available for officially supported kernels.

• Stable — Vanilla Linux kernel and modules, with a few patches applied.

https://www.kernel.org/ || linux

• Hardened — A security-focused Linux kernel applying a set of hardening patches to mitigate kernel and userspace exploits. It also enables more upstream kernel hardening features than linux .

https://github.com/anthraxx/linux-hardened || linux-hardened

• Longterm — Long-term support (LTS) Linux kernel and modules.

https://www.kernel.org/ || linux-lts

• Zen Kernel — Result of a collaborative effort of kernel hackers to provide the best Linux kernel possible for everyday systems. Some more details can be found on https://liquorix.net (which provides kernel binaries based on Zen for Debian).

https://github.com/zen-kernel/zen-kernel || linux-zen

Compilation

Following methods can be used to compile your own kernel:

/Arch Build System Takes advantage of the high quality of existing linux PKGBUILD and the benefits of package management. /Traditional compilation Involves manually downloading a source tarball, and compiling in your home directory as a normal user.

Some of the listed packages may also be available as binary packages via Unofficial user repositories.

kernel.org kernels

• Git — Linux kernel and modules built using sources from Linus Torvalds’ Git repository

https://git.kernel.org/cgit/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git || linux-gitAUR

• Mainline — Kernels where all new features are introduced, released every 2-3 months.

https://www.kernel.org/ || linux-mainlineAUR

• Next — Bleeding edge kernels with features pending to be merged into next mainline release.

https://www.kernel.org/doc/man-pages/linux-next.html || linux-next-gitAUR

• Longterm 4.4 — Long-term support (LTS) Linux 4.4 kernel and modules.

https://www.kernel.org/ || linux-lts44AUR

• Longterm 4.9 — Long-term support (LTS) Linux 4.9 kernel and modules.

https://www.kernel.org/ || linux-lts49AUR

• Longterm 4.14 — Long-term support (LTS) Linux 4.14 kernel and modules.

https://www.kernel.org/ || linux-lts414AUR

• Longterm 4.19 — Long-term support (LTS) Linux 4.19 kernel and modules.

https://www.kernel.org/ || linux-lts419AUR

• Longterm 5.4 — Long-term support (LTS) Linux 5.4 kernel and modules.

https://www.kernel.org/ || linux-lts54AUR

Unofficial kernels

• Aufs — The aufs-compatible linux kernel and modules, useful when using docker.

http://aufs.sourceforge.net/ || linux-aufsAUR

• Ck — Contains patches by Con Kolivas (including the MuQSS scheduler) designed to improve system responsiveness with specific emphasis on the desktop, but they are suitable to any workload.

http://ck.kolivas.org/ || linux-ckAUR

• Clear — Patches from Intel’s Clear Linux project. Provides performance and security optimizations.

https://github.com/clearlinux-pkgs/linux || linux-clearAUR

• GalliumOS — The Linux kernel and modules with GalliumOS patches for Chromebooks.

https://github.com/GalliumOS/linux || linux-galliumosAUR

• Libre — Without propietary or obfuscated device drivers.

https://www.fsfla.org/ikiwiki/selibre/linux-libre/ || linux-libreAUR

• Liquorix — Kernel replacement built using Debian-targeted configuration and the Zen kernel sources. Designed for desktop, multimedia, and gaming workloads, it is often used as a Debian Linux performance replacement kernel. Damentz, the maintainer of the Liquorix patchset, is a developer for the Zen patchset as well.

https://liquorix.net || linux-lqxAUR

• MultiPath TCP — The Linux Kernel and modules with Multipath TCP support.

https://multipath-tcp.org/ || linux-mptcpAUR

• pf-kernel — Provides a handful of awesome features which are not merged into a kernel mainline. Maintained by a kernel engineer. If the port for the included patch for new kernels was not released officially, the patchset provides and supports patch ports to new kernels. The current most prominent patches of linux-pf are PDS CPU scheduler and UKSM.

https://gitlab.com/post-factum/pf-kernel/wikis/README || Packages:

• Repository by pf-kernel developer post-factum
• Repository, linux-pfAUR , linux-pf-preset-defaultAUR by pf-kernel fork developer Thaodan
• linux-pf-gitAUR by yurikoles

• Realtime kernel — Maintained by a small group of core developers led by Ingo Molnar. This patch allows nearly all of the kernel to be preempted, with the exception of a few very small regions of code («raw_spinlock critical regions»). This is done by replacing most kernel spinlocks with mutexes that support priority inheritance, as well as moving all interrupt and software interrupts to kernel threads.

https://wiki.linuxfoundation.org/realtime/start || linux-rtAUR , linux-rt-ltsAUR

• tkg — A highly customizable kernel build system that provides a selection of patches and tweaks aiming for better desktop and gaming performance. It is maintained by Etienne Juvigny. Amongst other patches, it offers various CPU schedulers: CFS, Project C PDS, Project C BMQ, MuQSS and CacULE.

https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg || not packaged? search in AUR

• VFIO — The Linux kernel and a few patches written by Alex Williamson (acs override and i915) to enable the ability to do PCI Passthrough with KVM on some machines.

https://lwn.net/Articles/499240/ || linux-vfioAUR , linux-vfio-ltsAUR

• XanMod — Aiming to take full advantage in high-performance workstations, gaming desktops, media centers and others and built to provide a more rock-solid, responsive and smooth desktop experience. This kernel uses the MuQSS or CacULE scheduler, BFQ I/O scheduler, UKSM realtime memory data deduplication, TCP BBR congestion control, x86_64 advanced instruction set support, and other default changes.

https://xanmod.org/ || linux-xanmodAUR , linux-xanmod-caculeAUR

Debugging regressions

Try linux-mainline AUR to check if the issue is already fixed upstream. The stickied comment also mentions a repository which contains already built kernels, so it may not be necessary to build it manually, which can take some time.

It may also be worth considering trying the LTS kernel ( linux-lts ) to debug issues which did not appear recently. Older versions of the LTS kernel can be found in the Arch Linux Archive.

If the issue still persists, bisect linux-git AUR and report the bug on the kernel bugzilla. It is important to try the «vanilla» version without any patches to make sure it is not related to them. If a patch causes the issue, report it to the author of the patch.

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3 Ways to Check Linux Kernel Version in Command Line

Last updated October 29, 2020 By Abhishek Prakash 25 Comments

Brief: Wondering which Linux kernel version your system uses? Here are several ways to check your kernel version in the Linux terminal.

You may find yourself in a situation where you need to know the exact Linux kernel version being used on your system. Thanks to the powerful Linux command line, you can easily find that out.

Quick way to check Linux kernel version

You can use the following command to get the Linux kernel version:

uname -r

There are other ways to get even more detailed information about kernel. Read the rest of the article to learn it in detail.

In this article, I’ll show you various methods for finding out your kernel version and tell you what those numbers actually mean. If you prefer videos, here’s a quick one. Don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel for more Linux tips.

How to find Linux kernel version

I am using Ubuntu while writing this article. But these commands are generic and can be used on Fedora, Debian, CentOS, SUSE Linux or any other Linux distribution.

1. Find Linux kernel using uname command

uname is the Linux command for getting system information. You can also use it to find out whether you’re using a 32-bit or 64-bit system.

Open a terminal and type in the following command:

The output will be something similar to this:

This means that you’re running Linux kernel 4.4.0-97, or in more generic terms, you are running Linux kernel version 4.4.

But what do the other digits mean here? Let me explain:

• 4 – Kernel version
• 4 – Major revision
• 0 – Minor revision
• 97 – Bug fix
• generic – Distribution-specific string. For Ubuntu, it means I’m using the desktop version. For Ubuntu server edition, it would be ‘server’.

You can also use the uname command with the option -a. This will provide more system information if you need it.

The output of the command should like this:

Let me explain the output and what it means:

• Linux – Kernel name. If you run the same command on BSD or macOS, the result will be different.
• itsfoss – Hostname.
• 4.4.0-97-generic – Kernel release (as we saw above).
• #120-Ubuntu SMP Tue Sep 19 17:28:18 UTC 2017 – This means that Ubuntu has compiled 4.4.0-97-generic 120 times. A timestamp for the last compilation is also there.
• x86_64 – Machine architecture.
• x86_64 – Processor architecture.
• x86_64 – Operating system architecture (you can run a 32-bit OS on a 64-bit processor).
• GNU/Linux – Operating system (and no, it won’t show the distribution name).

But I’ll save you from information overload. Let’s see some other commands to find your Linux kernel version.

2. Find Linux kernel using /proc/version file

In Linux, you can also find the kernel information in the file /proc/version. Just look at the contents of this file:

You’ll see an output similar to what you saw with uname.

You can see the kernel version 4.4.0-97-generic here.

3. Find Linux kernel version using dmesg commad

dmesg is a powerful command used for writing kernel messages. It’s also very useful for getting system information.

Since dmesg provides an awful lot of information, you should normally use a command like less to read it. But since we’re here just to check the Linux kernel version, grepping on ‘Linux’ should give the desired output.

The output will have a few lines but you should be able to identify the Linux kernel version there easily.

How do you check your Linux kernel version and other information?

Of the three ways discussed here, I use uname all the time. It’s the most convenient.

What about you? Which command do you prefer for getting Linux kernel information?

Like what you read? Please share it with others.

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How To Find Which Linux Kernel Version Is Installed On My System

I am a new proud Linux user. My question to you is – how do I check Linux Kernel version? How do I find my Linux Kernel Version installed on my PC? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Introduction : The Linux kernel is the central (core) component of Linux operating systems. Its responsibilities include managing the system’s resources and the communication between hardware and software components. It also maintains the security of your system. Hence, finding out the version information is a good idea for patching and other sysadmin management tasks.

Tutorial details
Difficulty level	Easy
Root privileges	No
Requirements	None
Est. reading time	1m

Commands to find your Linux Kernel Version

To check Linux Kernel version, try the following commands:

1. uname -r : Find Linux kernel version
2. cat /proc/version : Show Linux kernel version with help of a special file
3. hostnamectl | grep Kernel : For systemd based Linux distro you can use hotnamectl to display hostname and running Linux kernel version

Let us see all commands and examples in details.

How to check kernel version on Linux server/desktop/laptop

You need to use then uname command to print certain system information including kernel name. Type the following command to print kernel version number:
$ uname -r
Sample outputs:

So my Linux kernel version is 4.15.0-39, where:

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• 4 : Kernel version
• 15 : Major revision
• 0 : Minor revision
• 39 : Patch level or number
• generic : Linux distro/kernel specific additional info

Understanding uname command options

To print certain system information you use uname command. It has the following options:

-a, OR —all	print all information
-s, OR —kernel-name	print the kernel name
-n, OR —nodename	print the network node hostname
-r, OR —kernel-release	print the Linux kernel release
-v, OR —kernel-version	print the kernel version
-m, OR —machine	print the machine hardware name
-p, OR —processor	print the processor type or “unknown”
-i, OR —hardware-platform	print the hardware platform or “unknown”
-o, OR —operating-system	print the operating system

Find Linux kernel using /proc/version file

Another option is to type the following cat command:
$ cat /proc/version
Sample outputs:

How to find your Linux Kernel version using hostnamect

Type the hostnamectl command along with grep command:
$ hostnamectl
$ hostnamectl | grep Kernel

Related media

This tutorial is also available in a quick video format:

Conclusion

You learned three diffent commands to display and show Linux kernel version on screen. For more info see the following pages too:

🐧 Get the latest tutorials on Linux, Open Source & DevOps via

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