Linux54 redundant after linux510 a lts version?

[Peer]

Hi all

the update from yesterday went through very smoothly. again: Great

After I saw, that the linux510 kernel is also LTS, I wanted to remove the old linux54. But Manjaro complains, that deleting is impossible due to its long term status.

Do I simply have to accept that, or is there a way, that I don’t know?

Thanx & kind regards,
Peer

[archisman]

You need to be running the 5.10 kernel when removing the 5.4 kernel. Maybe you were still running 5.4 when you tried to remove it.

However, it may be a good idea to keep two kernels. If somehow your computer stops responding during a 5.10 kernel upgrade, it would fail to start with the 5.10 kernel, but you can reboot with the 5.4 kernel to rescue the system.

This is why I don’t update the two kernels simultaneously. I first update all packages including kernel 5.10, but skip the kernel 5.4 update. Then I reboot, check if everything works, and then install the update for kernel 5.4.

Once my computer stopped responding during a kernel update (too many programs were running), and afterwards I had to reinstall due to a kernel panic.

[freggel.doe]

@Peer

deleting is impossible due to its long term status

Doubtful.
You cannot however remove the currently running kernel.

[Peer]

Thanks for your reply

@archisman

You need to be running the 5.10 kernel when removing the 5.4 kernel. Maybe you were still running 5.4 when you tried to remove it.

I am using the 5.12.8 kernel, since I have pretty new HW (Ryzen 4700, 2-in-1 laptop) and I wait for a still unsupported feature (automatic screen rotation).

Installed are 5.12 (smoothly running), 5.11, 5.10 (LTS) and 5.4 (LTS), so that 5.4 seems to be redundant to me.

@archisman

However, it may be a good idea to keep two kernels. If somehow your computer stops responding during a 5.10 kernel upgrade, it would fail to start with the 5.10 kernel, but you can reboot with the 5.4 kernel to rescue the system.

This is why I don’t update the two kernels simultaneously. I first update all packages including kernel 5.10, but skip the kernel 5.4 update. Then I reboot, check if everything works, and then install the update for kernel 5.4.

A very good idea, thanks !

@archisman

Once my computer stopped responding during a kernel update (too many programs were running), and afterwards I had to reinstall due to a kernel panic.

Fortunately that never happened … yet.

[Peer]

@freggel.doe

@Peer

deleting is impossible due to its long term status

Doubtful.
You cannot however remove the currently running kernel.

Hi, thank you As I said beforehand, currently 5.12.8:

uname -a ; mhwd-kernel -li ; sudo mhwd-kernel -r linux54
Linux xxxx 5.12.8-1-MANJARO #1 SMP PREEMPT Fri May 28 19:32:35 UTC 2021 x86_64 GNU/Linux
Currently running: 5.12.8-1-MANJARO (linux512)
The following kernels are installed in your system:
   * linux510
   * linux511
   * linux512
   * linux54
Prüfe Abhängigkeiten...
Fehler: Konnte den Vorgang nicht vorbereiten (Kann Abhängigkeiten nicht erfüllen)
:: Entfernen von linux54 verletzt Abhängigkeit 'linux54', benötigt von linux-lts

Ups, sry for the German error message. It says: “Errror: Could not prepare the operation (Cannot fulfill dependencies) :: Removing of linux54 violates dependency ‘linux54’, required by linux-lts”

[Wollie]

First remove this package:

@Peer

linux-lts

[freggel.doe]

That message says linux54 cannot be uninstalled due to a package named linux-lts requiring it.
That package is no longer part of the repositories - remove it.

[michaldybczak]

I personally try to keep at least 2 kernels: the latest lts (when proven to be working fine for longer time) and the newest release, so at the moment I have 5.12 (working) and 5.10 (just in case).

For a some time I kept 5.4 because 5.10 was burdened with some issues but now that it’s all ironed out, I removed 5.4.

Having 2 kernels is safer, however, in my 8-year experience with Manjaro, I only needed once to switch to a different kernel (due to interrupted kernel update), where I resumed update and then could come back to the current kernel.
Sometimes different kernels are a way to test if some hardware problems are not caused by the kernel version - rarely happens thou.

More important is to have a few system backups than a few kernels, but it’s a good practice on a rolling release, because you can never know.

[Peer]

@Wollie

First remove this package:

linux-lts

Thank you and @freggel.doe! Due to some strange reason, I simply did not realize, that this was simply a package dependency

Of course it worked out as expected