Which linux kernel to use

What version of the Linux kernel should we use?

The Linux kernel is the heart of GNU Linux systems and know which version of the Kernel should be used especially those that are going to use in a product, portable device, desktop, servers, and so many other places from the simplest to the most unusual.

Greg Kroah-Hartman a leading Linux Kernel developer did an article en Your Website that gives advice on which Kernel we should use and we are going to highlight some important points of the article.

In the first moment, Greg now responds in the best way, that the best choice of which Linux Kernel to use is that Linux Kernel maintained by his distribution, that is to say, that the Kernel is already installed and in general later it is updated through official channels of each distribution.

At this point, he listed the best Linux kernel at least recommended which is the oldest LTS that still stands.

Upgrading the Linux kernel should be done with caution and not just by doing it.

Greg points out that the best solution for almost all Linux users is to simply use the kernel of your favorite Linux distribution.

Personally, he prefers Rolling Release versions of Linux distributions, since he will always receive the updated version of the latest kernel and they are supported by the developer community.

Distributions in this category are openSUSE, Arch, Gentoo, and others.

They point out that all of these distributions use the latest stable kernel version, and make sure any necessary bug fixes are applied regularly.

This is the strongest and best kernel you can use when it comes to having the latest patches and in addition to having all the fixes are security fixes.

There are some community distributions that take a little more time to update to a new version of the kernel, but eventually they get there.

These are also of great use, and the examples are Debian and Ubuntu.

Just because you haven’t listed your favorite distro here doesn’t mean your kernel isn’t good.

Search the distribution site and make sure the kernel package is constantly updated with the latest security patches, and everything should be fine.

He says a lot of people seem to like the old «traditional» model of distributions and using RHEL, SLES, CentOS or Ubuntu’s «LTS» release.

In these distributions you must choose a specific version of the kernel these distributions are usually of use for years.

They do a great job backporting the latest bug fixes and sometimes new features for these kernels, all to keep the version number so they never change, despite thousands of changes on top of the previous kernel version.

This job is hard work and the developers assigned to these tasks do a wonderful job of reaching those goals.

What is the recommended kernel version?

So, here is a short list of the different types of devices, and the type of kernel that Greg would recommend:

• Notebook / Desktop: Latest stable version
• Server: The latest stable version or the latest version of LTS
• Devices: The latest version of LTS or the oldest version of the LTS, the security model used is very strong and accurate.

What about Greg, what he does on his own machines? The notebooks run the latest kernel in development, in addition to the changes in the kernel you are currently working on and their servers run the latest stable version.

So even though he was in charge of the LTS releases, he doesn’t use them, except on test systems.

Confidence in development and the latest stable versions does this to ensure that your machines are running faster and more secure versions than have been created thus far.

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Different Types of Kernel for Arch Linux and How to Use Them

One of the reasons why people use Arch Linux is that it is a bleeding edge rolling release. You get most software and the Linux kernel before users of other distributions.

But this doesn’t mean that you have to always use the latest mainline kernel. There are several kernel options available, and I am going to show you switch kernels in Arch Linux.

Different types of kernels available for Arch Linux

First, let me tell you about different kinds of Linux kernels available to you as an Arch user.

Mainline kernel (package name: linux)

This is the latest stable Linux kernel. Most people use this kernel for the reason that it is the latest available kernel version.

LTS kernel (package name: linux-lts)

The linux-lts package gives you the latest long term support Linux kernel. There is no predefined life cycle for a LTS kernel but you can be assured to enjoy the same kernel version for a much longer period.

Kernel patches normally don’t break anything but a breakage is not impossible to happen. If your hardware isn’t the newest the market can offer, you can enjoy the bleeding edge software with increased stability by installing the slightly older LTS kernel.

Hardened kernel (package name: linux-hardened)

For the security concerned users, there is a hardened version of the latest stable kernel. Do note that several packages will not work when using this kernel.

Performance-tuned kernel (package name: linux-zen)

If you want to get the most out of your system, you can use the “Zen” kernel which is basically a fork from the latest kernel and provides tunes at the cost of throughput and power usage.

How to switch kernels on Arch Linux

Now that you are aware of various kernel choices, let’s see how to change kernel in Arch Linux.

1. Install the Linux kernel of your choice
2. Tweak the grub config file to add the newly installed kernel

Don’t worry, I am going to show you the steps in details.

Check the kernel version in arch Linux using this command:

If it shows only a number

To switch kernels on Arch, can be simply done by installing the kernel that you want to use and tweak the grub configuration file.

Step 1: Install the kernel of your choice

You can use the pacman command to install the Linux kernel of your choice. You just need to know the package name.

You may also install more than one type of Linux kernels at the same time in the system. You can choose which kernel to use from the grub menu.

For the latest stable kernel:

For the latest LTS kernel:

For latest stable kernel with hardened patches:

sudo pacman -S linux-hardened

Step 2: Tweak the grub configuration file to add more kernel options

By default, Arch Linux uses the latest kernel version as the default. Additional kernel versions are available from under the advanced options:

However, I prefer to do things a bit different and a bit better (in my opinion). Here’s what I do:

• Disable grub submenu so that all the available kernel versions are shown on the main screen (instead of under Advanced Options).
• Configure grub to recall the last kernel entry you booted and use it as the default entry to boot from the next time.

Sounds a lot better already, does it not?

To do this you need to edit the GRUB configuration file. All the configuration files in general are located at the /etc directory.

Open your terminal and edit the config file in your favorite terminal-based text editor. I am using Nano editor:

As you may notice I have changed the value that I mentioned but I have added another 2 lines so the final result should look like this:

GRUB_DISABLE_SUBMENU=y GRUB_DEFAULT=saved GRUB_SAVEDEFAULT=true

The first and optional line is used to disable the GRUB submenu. I find it easier when instantly I can see all my kernels on the GRUB screen without having to enter the advanced options submenu.

The second line is used to save the last kernel entry.

Lastly you need to ensure that GRUB will use as a default the last saved entry.

Save the configuration file and exit.

Step 3: Re-generate the GRUB configuration file

To make the changes effective you need to re-generate the configuration file. To do so, open the terminal and run the following command:

$ sudo grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg

If it looks familiar to you, you have used this command during the Arch Linux installation process.

Reboot your Linux system and select the kernel you want to use!

Conclusion

You don’t need to worry about updating the kernel in Arch Linux. If there are updates to your choice of kernel, it will be installed with the system updates. I guess you already know how to update Arch Linux system.

Switching kernels on Arch Linux is an easy to do process with several options tailored to your needs. I find the above method the safest and easiest as you don’t need to remove a kernel from your system. If you choose to run the latest kernel, it’s good to have installed the LTS kernel in case of a kernel panic.

I hope you liked this Arch Linux tip. Stay subscribed to It’s FOSS for more tips and tutorials.

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How do I decide which kernel to use?

Post by gmb43 » Sat Sep 25, 2021 5:38 pm

I have had several versions of LM running on this Lenovo Thinkpad, and I’m currently running Mint 20.2 Cinnamon 5.0.5. I have changed kernels, and with this machine setup, I have run several versions of 5.4, 5.8. and 5.11. All of these kernels work pretty well.

The longest-term kernels seem to be the 5.4 set, which are supported until 2025. None of the 5.8 series appears to be supported at all anymore. All of the 5.4 and 5.8 kernels I have used work fine, with one glaring exception: None of them support this computer’s built-in SD card reader.

I am now running with kernel 5.11.0-36, and it also works fine, and it does support the SD card reader. But the 5.11 series says it will be supported only until February 2022, about 4 months from now. I can’t tell any other difference between the different kernels other than the SD reader support. For now, I have decided to go with the kernel that works for me, even though it is slated to last only another 4 months, hoping that a better solution will come along when I need it.

How should one decide which kernel to use if (a) one can hardly tell the difference between them, and (b) the one that works the best seems to be the most obscure of all choices?

Last edited by LockBot on Wed Dec 28, 2022 7:16 am, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: Topic automatically closed 6 months after creation. New replies are no longer allowed.

Re: How do I decide which kernel to use?

Post by YoungElder » Sat Sep 25, 2021 5:47 pm

Keep the 5.11 as long as it’s supported. Then a new series will be released and you will check if the card reader works. If it doesn’t you can go back to 5.4

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