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nobodyuknow

Member

Registered: 2017-09-10

Posts: 174  

[SOLVED] 5.18 kernel installed, yet apt wants to install newest 5.10

This system is Devuan 4.0 Cinnamon. 5.18 kernel is installed (linux-image-5.18.0-0.bpo.1-amd64_5.18.2-1~bpo11+1_amd64.deb) because the hardware includes Realtek wireless RTL8821CE. Today the following was seen after executing "apt update, apt upgrade":

The following package was automatically installed and is no longer required:
  linux-image-5.10.0-9-amd64
Use 'sudo apt autoremove' to remove it.
The following NEW packages will be installed:
  linux-headers-5.10.0-17-amd64 linux-headers-5.10.0-17-common
  linux-image-5.10.0-17-amd64
The following packages will be upgraded:
  linux-compiler-gcc-10-x86 linux-headers-amd64 linux-image-amd64
  linux-kbuild-5.10 linux-libc-dev

Why is Devuan worrying about a kernel that's not being used? Does Devuan keep two kernels, one for the current state of the distribution and another if a custom one was installed?

Last edited by nobodyuknow (2022-08-15 22:17:00)

manyroads

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From: 20 Jan 2021 ~ "Free at last"

Registered: 2020-08-18

Posts: 73  

Website

Re: [SOLVED] 5.18 kernel installed, yet apt wants to install newest 5.10

Keeping multiple kernels is generally viewed as a wise safety net measure. If one kernel fails often another allows you to recover or fix the problem. Multiple kernels are allowed and not automatically removed on Debian, Devuan, MXLinux, arch, manjaro, antiX, Sparky among others.

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Pax vobiscum,
Mark Rabideau - ManyRoads
i3wm, bspwm, dkwm, dwm, hlwm, sway, openbox on Sid/ ceres ~ Linux #449130
"For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong." -- H. L. Mencken

nobodyuknow

Member

Registered: 2017-09-10

Posts: 174  

Re: [SOLVED] 5.18 kernel installed, yet apt wants to install newest 5.10

Thanks for the response. Now I won't worry about overwriting 5.18.

Head_on_a_Stick

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From: London

Registered: 2019-03-24

Posts: 3,125  

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Re: [SOLVED] 5.18 kernel installed, yet apt wants to install newest 5.10

If you need the backported kernel for hardware support then you need to install the metapackage:

# apt install -t beowulf-backports linux-image-amd64

^ That will remove the current 5.10 kernel and set the default to 5.18. You should still have old versions of 5.10 & 5.18 to boot into just in case.

EDIT: but an autoremove operation will delete them so be sure the new one works before running that.

Last edited by Head_on_a_Stick (2022-08-16 06:01:53)

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nobodyuknow

Member

Registered: 2017-09-10

Posts: 174  

Re: [SOLVED] 5.18 kernel installed, yet apt wants to install newest 5.10

@Head_on_a_Stick

"an autoremove operation will delete them so be sure the new one works before running that"

I found that out the hard way once when I thought the newer kernel was running properly, so I autoremoved the old kernel -- and the system kinda died. <chuckle>