I won’t be the first to tell you this; Ubuntu isn’t perfect. In fact, the Linux Kernel that powers Ubuntu isn’t fully compatible with most hardware out there because those devices were designed with Windows OS in mind. The reason you see so many kernel updates when using Linux systems is to resolve issues and bugs that are discovered with latest hardware and software.
It’s a good thing to constantly upgrade when you have the chance, because you might just be fixing some issues with your computer and not knowing it. That’s what happened to my recently. I have an old Dell computer that was killing me with all sort of problems. From power management to adjusting the brightness of the display, there was always an issue. So when Linux Kernel 3.10.1 was released, I decided to upgrade.
Now, here’s the most important thing. Before you upgrade Linux kernel, make sure to backup your system because sometime, there’s no going back after upgrading. Also, have a plan B before upgrading because when the upgrade fails, reverting the changes can be difficult.
So, after upgrading, issues I had with Nvidia Graphic card were fixed, I could adjust the screen brightness, and my power management was functioning great. Yes, sometimes upgrading Linux Kernel fixes issues that you have had for a long while.
Here are some of the changes added to the Linux Kernel 3.10.1
- cpufreq: Fix cpufreq regression after suspend/resume
- nfsd4: fix decoding of compounds across page boundaries
- Improved power management and other features
- Integration of BCache and SSD/HDD caching framework
Again, I will say it. Before upgrading please backup your computer. When you’re ready, press Ctrl – Alt – T on your keyboard to bring up the terminal or console. When it open, run the commands below to upgrade your machine and remove obsolete kernel images. You may have to reboot your machine.
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get dist-upgrade && sudo apt-get autoremove
Next, change into the /tmp directory to download the Kernel image.
cd /tmp
Next, copy and paste the commands below to download the 32-bit of the Linux Kernel.
wget http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v3.10.1-saucy/linux-headers-3.10.1-031001-generic_3.10.1-031001.201307131550_i386.deb http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v3.10.1-saucy/linux-headers-3.10.1-031001_3.10.1-031001.201307131550_all.deb http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v3.10.1-saucy/linux-image-3.10.1-031001-generic_3.10.1-031001.201307131550_i386.deb
For the 64-bit kernel, copy and paste the commands below
wget http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v3.10.1-saucy/linux-headers-3.10.1-031001-generic_3.10.1-031001.201307131550_amd64.deb http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v3.10.1-saucy/linux-headers-3.10.1-031001_3.10.1-031001.201307131550_all.deb http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v3.10.1-saucy/linux-image-3.10.1-031001-generic_3.10.1-031001.201307131550_amd64.deb
After downloading the correct version, run the commands below to install it.
sudo dpkg -i *.deb
Finally, run the commands below to update GRUB and reboot your machine.
sudo update-grub2
Enjoy!
If you decide to remove it, run the commands below to completely remove it.
sudo apt-get purge linux-image-3.10.1*
