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In this question, I learned that Ubuntu 14.04.5 LTS has moved to the 4.4.* kernel series. I installed Kubuntu 14.04.0 when it was fresh, and have been happily running on the 3.13.* series (currently at 3.13.0-96-generic) since -- and never have I been prompted to upgraded the kernel outside the 3.13.* series. My system reports the following version information:

$ lsb_release -a No LSB modules are available. Distributor ID: Ubuntu Description: Ubuntu 14.04.5 LTS Release: 14.04 Codename: trusty

but my kernel version shows:

$ uname -a Linux Kubuntu64 3.13.0-96-generic #143-Ubuntu SMP Mon Aug 29 20:15:20 UTC 2016 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux

The question I linked above is about Ubuntu, and I'm running Kubuntu, with the nVidia 352 driver (which shows as "recommended driver"). I use Synaptic instead of the default package installer, and have a root password set up (because when I came to Kubuntu I was used to using root to do certain things on Mepis 11), but I've made no other significant system changes.

So -- is this something I should try to correct (by manually upgrading to a 4.4.* series kernel metapackage), or something that makes little difference, or something I should avoid because of, say, nVidia drivers? FWIW, my Kubuntu 16.04.1 installation has 4.4.* kernel, and nVidia 361 drivers, but I still use my 14.04 for daily use, because I don't like some of the interface changes in Kubuntu 16.04.

My system is old -- Core2Quad CPU with a compatible motherboard, and though my OS lives on a SSD, that uses SATA, which is fairly old as well. The only reasonably up-to-date hardware I have is my video, a GTx750, but that's managed by the nVidia drivers, and shouldn't require an updated kernel.

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Zeiss Ikon
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1 Answers1

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You need to install the Hardware Enablement Stack (HWE) to get to the 4.4 kernel.

Run the following command from a terminal window to update your 14.04 to a 4.4 kernel:

sudo apt-get install --install-recommends linux-generic-lts-xenial xserver-xorg-core-lts-xenial xserver-xorg-lts-xenial xserver-xorg-video-all-lts-xenial xserver-xorg-input-all-lts-xenial libwayland-egl1-mesa-lts-xenial

Even though this references Xenial, this is not upgrading the OS to 16.04. It is only upgrading the Kernel to that of 16.04 (Xenial). Since Xenial is LTS, this Kernel version will continue support until April 2019. The 3.13 Kernel will also remain on the system and you can always go back to it by selecting Advanced during the bootup of the system.

Kernel support schedule: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Kernel/Support

More information can be found at: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Kernel/LTSEnablementStack

Hope this helps!

Terrance
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  • That command line repeatedly references xenial -- isn't that 16.04? Should I substitute trusty, since that's the system I'm running? Are there any good reasons I wouldn't want to or shouldn't do this? – Zeiss Ikon Sep 30 '16 at 23:43
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    @ZeissIkon It is not upgrading to Xenial. It is only installing the 4.4 Kernel of Xenial that is a LTS release that continues with support. I have done this upgrade many times. – Terrance Sep 30 '16 at 23:45
  • Okay, after reading the linked wiki entry, I see that the xenial references are pulling packages from the xenial ppa set to install these newer kernels. But since these exist to enable newer hardware, they probably don't matter to me, since I have a Core2Quad -- it was used when I installed it three years ago, and my motherboard, though recently replaced, was used and is old enough to accommodate a Core2 family CPU. The only reasonably up-to-date hardware I have is my GTx750 video, and that's enabled by the nVidia drivers. – Zeiss Ikon Sep 30 '16 at 23:56
  • No, these commands do not get packages from a PPA. They get packages from the official Trusty repositories. The reason why those packages have xenial in their names is that they are essentially identical to Xenial packages, but they have been "refurbished" for Trusty. – fkraiem Oct 01 '16 at 00:14
  • Also, while it is true that the primary purpose of those packages is to enable newer hardware, you can also install them if you just want a newer kernel. – fkraiem Oct 01 '16 at 00:17
  • @fkraiem So, your edits seem to say my 14.04 will be supported until 2021 with the 4.4 kernel -- am I reading that correctly? Seems like the rest of the distribution -- especially KDE Plasma -- would be difficult to support over that long a time frame... – Zeiss Ikon Oct 01 '16 at 00:22
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    No, Trusty with a 4.4 kernel from Xenial will be supported until April 2019, just like with the original 3.13 kernel. After that, updates to the 4.4 kernel in Xenial will not be made available for Trusty. – fkraiem Oct 01 '16 at 00:26
  • @fkraiem That was my bad with the 2021 date. When you get in a hurry sometimes you forget about what dates things cut off, and I was thinking the date 16.04 support ends, not the HWE support. Thank you and I fixed it in my answer. =) – Terrance Oct 01 '16 at 02:09
  • Nice. The 4.4 kernel seems significantly faster (16.04 vs. 14.04), so I'm going ahead with this. I can always boot back to the 3.13 if needed, even remove the 4.4 if it causes trouble... – Zeiss Ikon Oct 01 '16 at 11:51
  • Following up -- been running flawlessly for several days with the 4.4.0-38-generic kernel. Glad I stumbled on that other question. – Zeiss Ikon Oct 06 '16 at 11:01
  • @ZeissIkon That is good news to hear! Glad it is working for you! Not too often do we get a follow up from someone that we helped. Thank you! Have a great day! – Terrance Oct 06 '16 at 14:23