We are going to show you how to update the Linux kernel to the latest version in Ubuntu Linux distribution. Here I am using Ubuntu Linux 13.04 distribution.

What is Linux Kernel ?

The Linux kernel is the operating system kernel used by the Linux family of Unix-like operating systems. It is a prominent example of free and open source software. The Linux kernel is released under the GNU General Public License version 2 , and is developed by contributors worldwide. Day-to-day development discussions take place on the Linux kernel mailing list.The Linux kernel was initially conceived and created in 1991 by Finnish computer science student Linus Torvalds. All Linux distributions released have been based upon the Linux kernel.

Instructions to Update the Kernel to Latest Version:

1. Open https://www.kernel.org/ in your browser and know the “Latest Stable Kernel”. At the time of writing 3.11 is the latest stable kernel.
2. Go to http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/ in your browser.
3. Scroll up to the last and find the kernel version directory. For example kernel 3.11 is listed as v3.11-saucy.

4. Open the directory.
5. It contains Linux kernel images and headers for 32-bit and 64-bit Operating Systems.
6. 64-bit is suffixed with __amd64.deband 32-bit is suffixed with __i386.deb
7. Download the required Linux kernel image and place in a directory.
8. Open the Terminal and navigate to the location where the downloaded file is placed.
9. Type the code in the terminal. Replace with the downloaded kernel version.

sudo dpkg -i linux-image-*.deb

For example to install kernel 3.11 I type,

sudo dpkg -i linux-image-3.11.0*.deb

Now Linux kernel will be updated and reboot to see the changes.

To Know Kernel Version:

Type the following code in terminal. It displays the current kernel version.

uname -r

To remove the Installed Kernel:

1. Reboot your PC and choose the old kernel in Grub and boot.
2. Type the following code in terminal to remove the kernel. Replace with the downloaded kernel version.

sudo apt-get purge linux-image-*

To remove kernel 3.11 I Type,

sudo apt-get purge linux-image-3.11.0*

Enjoy 🙂
Any questions comment here.