Step-by-Step Guide: Install Linux Kernel 6.0 on Ubuntu 22.04

Prerequisites

Server running Ubuntu 22.04

A valid domain name pointing to the server IP

Root password configured on the server

Getting Started

Before beginning, update and upgrade all system packages to the latest versions:

apt update -y
apt upgrade -y

Reboot the system to apply changes:

reboot

Verify the current kernel version:

uname -a

You should see output similar to:

Linux ubuntu2204 5.15.0-33-generic #34-Ubuntu SMP Wed May 18 13:34:26 UTC 2022 x86_64 GNU/Linux

Download Linux Kernel 6.0

The latest kernel is not in Ubuntu 22.04's default repositories, so you need to download the source and compile it.

Install the required build dependencies:

apt install build-essential dwarves python3 libncurses-dev flex bison libssl-dev bc libelf-dev zstd gnupg2 wget -y

Download the kernel source archive:

wget https://git.kernel.org/torvalds/t/linux-6.0-rc7.tar.gz

Extract the archive:

tar xvf linux-6.0-rc7.tar.gz

Configure Kernel 6.0 Modules

Navigate to the extracted directory and copy the current kernel configuration:

cd linux-6.0-rc7/
cp -v /boot/config-$(uname -r) .config

Run the configuration menu:

make menuconfig

You will see a screen like the one below:

After adjusting options, disable SYSTEM_REVOCATION_KEYS and generate a minimal configuration:

scripts/config --disable SYSTEM_REVOCATION_KEYS
make localmodconfig

Compile Kernel 6.0

Compile the kernel image:

make bzImage

Compile and install kernel modules:

make modules
make modules_install

Install the new kernel:

make install

After installation, you should see the new kernel files in /boot:

initrd.img-6.0.0-rc7
vmlinuz-6.0.0-rc7

Update GRUB Bootloader

Refresh the GRUB configuration to include the new kernel:

update-grub

The command will list the detected kernels, including the newly installed 6.0.0-rc7.

Reboot and Verify

Reboot the system to boot into the new kernel:

reboot

After the system starts, verify the running kernel version:

uname -a

The output should show the new kernel, e.g., Linux ubuntu2204 6.0.0-rc7.