Install/Upgrade Linux Kernel 5.15 on Linux Mint 20 LTS

Linux kernel 5.15 has many new features, support, and security. The Linux 5.15 kernel release further improves the support for AMD CPUs and GPUs, Intel’s 12th Gen CPUs, and brings new features like NTFS3, KSMBD (CIFS/SMB3), and further Apple M1 support, amongst many other changes and additions.

In the following tutorial, you will learn how to install the latest 5.15 Linux Kernel on Linux Mint 20 LTS.

Prerequisites

• Recommended OS: Linux Mint 20.xx
• User account: A user account with sudo or root access.
• Internet Access

The tutorial will be utilizing the terminal, and for those unfamiliar, this can be found in your show applications menu.

Example:

For non-Cinnamon Desktop Environment users, the location most likely is Show Applications > Search Bar > Terminal.

Update Operating System

Update your Linux Mint operating system to make sure all existing packages are up to date:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

The tutorial will be using the sudo command and assuming you have sudo status.

To verify sudo status on your account:

sudo whoami

Example output showing sudo status:

[joshua@linuxmint ~]$ sudo whoami
root

To set up an existing or new sudo account, visit our tutorial on Adding a User to Sudoers on Linux Mint.

Use the following command with the root password to log in to use the root account.

su

For users with sudo access, logging into the root account can be skipped.

Import Proposed PPA

Currently, Linux Kernel is not available to install from Linux Mint or Ubuntu’s repository. Currently, the kernel is in testing, ready for the next deployment, but this does not mean you cannot install it in the meantime and can be beneficial installing it from Ubuntu’s repository then a generic version.

First, install the Ubuntu Proposed PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:canonical-kernel-team/proposed -y

Once installed, update your repository list.

sudo apt-get update

Next, proceed to the installation of the Linux Kernel.

Installing Linux Kernel 5.15

Next, install the 5.15 Linux kernel drivers using the generic or low-latency options.

Install kernel-generic:

sudo apt install linux-headers-5.15.*-*-generic linux-image-5.15.*-*-generic

Install low-latency:

sudo apt install linux-headers-5.15.*-*-generic* linux-image-5.15.*-*-lowlatency

Example output (low-latency option):

Type Y, and then press the ENTER KEY to proceed with the installation.

Once complete, you will need to reboot your system for the new kernel to be fully activated.

reboot

Once logged back into your system, run the following command to confirm the kernel version running.

sudo uname -r

Example output (low-latency option install):

5.15.0-18-lowlatency

Additionally, install the Neofetch package that will print out a fancy output in the terminal of your system specs.

sudo apt install neofetch -y

Next, run the neofetch printout command.

neofetch

Example output:

Congratulations, you have installed the latest 5.15 kernel on your Linux Mint operating system.

Updating for Kernel 5.15

To keep your kernel 5.15 up to date, you will use the apt update and upgrade commands to pull updates from the PPA repository just like any other package on your Linux Mint system.

To check for updates and upgrade.

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade

Remember, for any kernel updates, and you will need to reboot your system.

Comments and Conclusion

In the tutorial, you have learned how to install the latest 5.15 kernel on your Linux Mint 20 system.

If your system is a production server, it should be advised to use the existing kernel that ships with Linux Mint or use the HWE version for the most stability. However, this is worth trying for those wanting to try kernel 5.15 for its new hardware support.