LWM-Linux/11 - Linux Kernel and Modules/Kernel Upgrades and Patching.md

Kernel Upgrades and Patching

1. Preparation:

• Backup your system
• Ensure you have enough disk space
• Install necessary tools:

  sudo apt-get install build-essential libncurses-dev bison flex libssl-dev libelf-dev
  

2. Download the kernel source:

• Visit kernel.org
• Download the desired version (e.g., linux-5.x.y.tar.xz)
• Extract the archive:

  tar xvf linux-5.x.y.tar.xz
  cd linux-5.x.y
  

3. Apply patches (if needed):

• Download the patch file
• Apply the patch:

  patch -p1 < /path/to/patch/file
  

4. Configure the kernel:

• Copy your current config:

  cp /boot/config-$(uname -r) .config
  

• Make necessary changes:

  make menuconfig
  

• Update the config for the new version:

  make oldconfig
  

5. Build the kernel:

make -j$(nproc)

6. Build and install modules:

sudo make modules_install

7. Install the kernel:

sudo make install

8. Update boot loader (e.g., GRUB):

sudo update-grub

9. Reboot and select the new kernel

10. Verify the new kernel:

uname -r