The kernel is one of the most important elements of the operating system. This is why major distributions such as Debian, Ubuntu or Red Hat Linux Enterprise do not update it to recent versions. Of course, these distributions keep it with security patches that make it even safer to use. However, some of these distributions are used by users for their personal computers with recent hardware. Then it is convenient to have the Kernel updated so that it can recognize the newest devices on the market or improve the performance of those that are already there. So in this post, I will show you how to upgrade the Kernel in CentOS 8, RHEL 8 or Oracle Linux 8.
Upgrade the Linux Kernel on CentOS / RHEL / Oracle Linux 8
First I must warn you of something. If your system works well and you do not find any problems, it is best not to update. If you use CentOS / RHEL / Oracle Linux 8 on a home or production server, it is also not advisable to do so unless you do it for testing.
To update the Kernel, we will use a fairly reliable external repository called elrepo.
First, add the GPG key to the repository to secure the installation.
:~$ su :~# rpm --import https://www.elrepo.org/RPM-GPG-KEY-elrepo.org
Then, you need to add the repository by installing an RPM package.
:~# dnf install https://www.elrepo.org/elrepo-release-8.0-2.el8.elrepo.noarch.rpm
After that, check the repository was successfully added.
:~# dnf repolist
Now, you can install the new kernel, but, first, check the installed version.
:~# uname -r
So, install the new kernel.
:~# dnf --enablerepo=elrepo-kernel install kernel-ml
After that, reboot the system. And check the version.
:~# uname -msr
So, that is it.
Conclusion
Having a more modern kernel can bring many advantages with the latest hardware on the market. However, in all cases, it is not recommended to update it. In this post, you have learned to do it without so many problems.
If you want to install the Kernel 5.2 on Ubuntu 18.04, please read our post about it.
How to install the Kernel 5.2 on Ubuntu 18.04?
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