Linux kernel vanilla repositories for Fedora Linux
The kernel vanilla copr repositories allow you to quickly, comfortably, and cleanly install the latest Linux kernels on Fedora Linux. They offer versions from up to six different Linux series, among them the latest ‘mainline’ and ‘stable’ release. These kernel packages are ideal for both quick tests and regular day-to-day use.
To install a kernel from these repositories, first chose which copr to use using the following table; then enable it and update your system, as explained in the section right below the table.
Linux kernels offered in the six copr repositories
| @kernel-vanilla copr | description | target users | example version sequence |
|---|---|---|---|
| fedora | Vanilla kernels from the stable series the latest Fedora Linux currently uses. | Anyone wanting to use the latest release from the kernel series Fedora Linux currently uses – for example to check if a bug that happens with Fedora's kernel occurs with the latest upstream version from the same kernel series. | …, 6.0.18, 6.0.19, 6.1.5, 6.1.6, … |
| stable | The latest stable kernel according to the frontpage of kernel.org; this repo thus won't ship mainline releases like 6.1 and only jumps to a newer series once its first stable release (e.g. 6.1.1) is published. | Anyone who wants the latest Linux stable kernel. | …, 6.0.14, 6.0.15, 6.1.1, 6.1.2, 6.1.3, … |
| stable-rc | Pre-releases of the next stable release. | Anyone who wants to help testing future Linux stable kernels. | …, 6.0.14, 6.0.15-rc1, 6.0.15, 6.1.1-rc1, 6.1.1, … |
| mainline-wo-mergew | The latest mainline kernel, either built from a proper release, a pre-release (aka "rc kernel"), or a git snapshot – albeit the latter only after -rc1 was released. | Anyone who normally wants the latest mainline kernel, but wants to play it a bit safer by avoiding mainline during its 'merge windows' – that's the phase at the beginning of each development cycle where the bulk of changes (~85 percent) including all riskier ones are merged for the next mainline release, before its first pre-release (e.g. "6.x-rc1") is published. | …, 6.1-rc8-20221211, 6.1, 6.1.1-rc1, 6.1.1, 6.2-rc1, 6.2-rc1-20221226, 6.2-rc1-20221227, … |
| mainline | Mainline kernels, either built from a proper release, a pre-release (aka "rc kernel"), or a git snapshot. | Anyone who wants to run a kernel built from the the latest Linux codebase. | …, 6.1-rc8-20221211, 6.1, 6.2-rc0-20221213, 6.2-rc0-20221214, 6.2-rc0-20221215, … |
| next | Linux-next kernels. | Anyone who wants to run linux-next or test if the changes slated for inclusion in the next mainline cycle fix a problem. | …, 6.1-0.0.next.20221210, 6.1-0.0.next.20221211,6.1-0.0.next.20221213, … |
| Note: each of those repositories includes all the ones mentioned beforehand as a runtime dependency, except the next repository, which is stand-alone. Users of the ‘stable-rc’ repository thus will receive packages from the ‘stable’ or ‘fedora’ repositories when they ship kernel packages which dnf will consider newer; this will ensure users of stable-rc won’t be stuck on a kernel with known problems that were fixed between the release of a -rc and the final version.
| |||
How to install a vanilla kernel from one of these repositories
If you’re on a x86 system, first run mokutil --sb-state to check whether UEFI Secure Boot is active on your system. If that’s the case you have to turn it off either in your BIOS Setup or through a process initiated with mokutil --disable-validation; do not omit this, as the kernels from these repositories won’t boot otherwise, because they are not signed with a key typical x86 systems trust.
Now enable one of the kernel vanilla repositories and update your system. The following commands for example will install the latest mainline kernel:
sudo dnf -y copr enable @kernel-vanilla/mainline sudo dnf upgrade 'kernel*'
In case you want that vanilla kernel just for a quick test, run sudo dnf copr remove @kernel-vanilla/mainline right afterwards to remove the repository again. Later when you’ve finished your tests, reboot and choose the latest stock Fedora Linux kernel from the boot menu; then uninstall all packages from the kernel vanilla repositories using sudo dnf remove $(rpm -qa 'kernel*' | grep '.vanilla' ) to ensure you'll retrieve kernel updates from Fedora again.
In case you want to use these repositories regularly, consider advising dnf to check them for new packages more often than usual – for example by running the following command, which advices dnf to query frequently updated repositories every hour and others every four hours:
sudo sed -i 's!baseurl=https://download.copr.fedorainfracloud.org/results/@kernel-vanilla/\(mainline\|stable-rc\|next\).*!&\nmetadata_expire=1h!g; s!baseurl=https://download.copr.fedorainfracloud.org/results/@kernel-vanilla/\(stable\|fedora\)/.*!&\nmetadata_expire=4h!g;' /etc/yum.repos.d/_copr:copr.fedorainfracloud.org:group_kernel-vanilla:*.repo
How vanilla kernels compare to Fedora’s
Most of the time these kernels will work roundabout as well and secure as Fedora’s. Sometimes though the kernels from these repositories will work better, as they contain drivers or security fixes that haven’t reached the kernels used by Fedora Linux yet; but then again other times it will be just the other way around.
It’s normal that some repositories are empty or look abandoned
Please be aware that quite a few of the repositories will look outdated, abandoned, or empty when you check for recent builds in copr’s web interface or look straight at a repositories. But be assured, most likely everything is well and working as intended. It will look like that when the most recent build suitable for users of that repository is found in one of the other repositories included as a runtime dependency (see the footnote in above table for details).
Linux kernel versions currently offered
A repostatus file shows what the repositories currently provide. Alternatively, execute the following script to query the latest packages locally:
dists=(37 38 rawhide)
dnf clean all > /dev/null
unset repostring
for repo in fedora stable{,-rc} mainline{-wo-mergew,} next; do
repostring="${repostring} --repofrompath=kvr-${repo},https://download.copr.fedorainfracloud.org/results/@kernel-vanilla/${repo}/fedora-\${distro}-x86_64/"
for distro in ${dists[*]} ; do
queryresult="$(eval dnf repoquery ${repostring} --disablerepo=* --enablerepo=kvr-* --latest-limit=1 -q kernel --arch x86_64 --qf '%{version}-%{release}')"
printf '%-20s %-10s %s\n' "${repo}" "${distro}" "${queryresult:-lookup failed}"
done
done
Developers behind the effort and point of contact
The Linux kernel vanilla repositories for Fedora are maintained by Thorsten Leemhuis (aka "knurd"); the SRPMs are based on those used to build Fedora’s kernel, but maintainers of the latter are not involved in these repositories.
For any feedback or questions regarding the kernel vanilla repositories contact Thorsten Leemhuis (aka "knurd").
What’s the goal of these repositories? And are these kernels as good as Fedora’s?
These and many other questions are answered in the FAQ about the Linux kernel vanilla repositories for Fedora Linux.