How To Install kernel on Rocky Linux 8

In this tutorial we learn how to install kernel on Rocky Linux 8. kernel is The Linux kernel, based on version 4.18.0, heavily modified with backports

Introduction

In this tutorial we learn how to install kernel on Rocky Linux 8.

What is kernel

This is the package which provides the Linux kernel for Rocky Linux. It is based on upstream Linux at version 4.18.0 and maintains kABI compatibility of a set of approved symbols, however it is heavily modified with backports and fixes pulled from newer upstream Linux kernel releases. This means this is not a 4.18.0 kernel anymore from newer upstream linux versions, while maintaining a well tested and stable core. Some of the components/backports that may be pulled in are updates to the core kernel (eg. fixes and features), updates to block layer, supported filesystems, major driver updates for supported hardware in Rocky Linux, enhancements for enterprise customers, etc.

We can use yum or dnf to install kernel on Rocky Linux 8. In this tutorial we discuss both methods but you only need to choose one of method to install kernel.

Install kernel on Rocky Linux 8 Using dnf

Update yum database with dnf using the following command.

sudo dnf makecache --refresh

After updating yum database, We can install kernel using dnf by running the following command:

sudo dnf -y install kernel

Install kernel on Rocky Linux 8 Using yum

Update yum database with yum using the following command.

sudo yum makecache --refresh

After updating yum database, We can install kernel using yum by running the following command:

sudo yum -y install kernel

How To Uninstall kernel on Rocky Linux 8

To uninstall only the kernel package we can use the following command:

sudo dnf remove kernel

kernel Package Contents on Rocky Linux 8

References

Summary

In this tutorial we learn how to install kernel on Rocky Linux 8 using yum and dnf.