Ubuntu 9.10 new kernel

Yes, as long as you are not usign pv_grub.

You can safely uninstall any installed kernels, Xen/Linode ignores them.

To clarify, any kernels you have installed or configured in /boot will be completely ignored by our system unless pv-grub is in use. You can allow your distribution's packaging system to upgrade and keep the kernels fresh, but they won't be used to boot.

Well, it says a new package "linux-image-2.6.31-15-generic{a}" will be installed and 113MB will be used. Since I don't need this, how can I tell aptitude to ignore this package and any possible future updates?

man aptitude :)

I see there's a hold option:

> remove, purge, hold, unhold, keep, reinstall

These commands are the same as "install", but apply the named

action to all packages given on the command line for which it is

not overridden. The difference between hold and keep is that hold

will cause a package to be ignored by future safe-upgrade or

full-upgrade commands, while keep merely cancels any scheduled

actions on the package. unhold will allow a package to be upgraded

by future safe-upgrade or full-upgrade commands, without otherwise

altering its state.

http://www.google.com/search?q=aptitude+hold

I've never used that option or the keep option, but those are the places I'd start looking at.

Thanks for your help. The thing is, aptitude is offering to install new package "linux-image-2.6.31-15-generic{a}", not to upgrade existing one. So what is it exactly I am supposed to put on hold?

What would happen normally? I am supposed to install new "linux-image-2.6.31-15-generic" and then uninstall old "linux-image-2.6.31-14-generic" package?

Thanks again.

Yes - normally you would install and boot to the new kernel. Once you determined that it was running OK you could remove the old kernel. If Linode is ignoring the distro installed kernels, seems install / uninstall is the cleanest way to do this.

@neo:

The thing is, aptitude is offering to install new package "linux-image-2.6.31-15-generic{a}"
That's because the "linux-image-generic" package, which acts as a kind of shortcut to the latest version is going to be upgraded, and the new versions specified the new kernel as a required package.

Actually, you should uninstall all of the linux-image-* things, cause they're not used at all (unless you have custom pv_grub boot setup) and thus only waste disk space and your nerves during upgrades.

If any headers or modules package will complain, it should be safe to remove them too.

Thanks every one for great help.

In case anyone wonders, this is the command I ran:

aptitude remove linux-generic linux-firmware linux-image-generic linux-image-2.6.31-14-generic

This removed current kernel, freed up 126MB and I am no longer prompted to install new kernels. Yes, I did try reboot and everything is fine.