How to Install Linux Kernel 4.4 in Ubuntu

Last updated: January 11, 2016

upgrade Linux Kernel

Linus Torvalds finally announced the release of Linux Kernel 4.4 yesterday afternoon. He wrote on LKML:

Nothing untoward happened this week, so Linux-4.4 is out in all the usual places.

The changes since rc8 aren’t big. There’s about one third arch updates, one third drivers, and one third “misc” (mainly some core kernel and networking), But it’s all small. Notable might be unbreaking the x86-32 “sysenter” ABI, when somebody (*cough*android-x86*cough*) misused it by not using the vdso and
instead using the instruction directly.

Full shortlog appended for people who care or are just curious.

And with this, the merge window for 4.5 is obviously open, even if I won’t start actually pulling until tomorrow.

Linux Kernel 4.4 features:

  • initial AMD Stoney APU Support
  • numerous AMD GPU additions for AMD Carrizo, Tonga, or Fiji graphics processor
  • Raspberry Pi KMS driver for kernel mode-setting
  • VirGL VirtIO 3D GPU driver added to Gallium3D
  • many Network, WiFi, and eBPF updates
  • 64-bit ARM updates, nouveau improvements, and much more.

How to Install Kernel 4.4 in Ubuntu:

Ubuntu Kernel Team has made the binaries a few hours ago, available for download at the link below:

Download Linux Kernel 4.4 DEBs

You may first check out your OS type, 32-bit or 64-bit, (also arm, ppc64 packages available) then download and install below packages one by one:

  1. linux-headers-4.4.0-xxx_all.deb
  2. linux-headers-4.4.0-xxx-generic_xxx_i386/amd64.deb
  3. linux-image-4.4.0-xxx-generic_xxx_i386/amd64.deb

If you need a low latency system (e.g. for recording audio) then download & install below packages instead:

  1. linux-headers-4.4.0_xxx_all.deb
  2. linux-headers-4.4.0-xxx-lowlatency_xxx_i386/amd64.deb
  3. linux-image-4.4.0-xxx-lowlatency_xxx_i386/amd64.deb

For Ubuntu Server or those who prefer Linux commands, run below commands one by one to download and install the kernel binaries:

For 64-bit system:

cd /tmp/

wget http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v4.4-wily/linux-headers-4.4.0-040400_4.4.0-040400.201601101930_all.deb

wget http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v4.4-wily/linux-headers-4.4.0-040400-generic_4.4.0-040400.201601101930_amd64.deb

wget http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v4.4-wily/linux-image-4.4.0-040400-generic_4.4.0-040400.201601101930_amd64.deb

sudo dpkg -i *.deb

For 32-bit system:

cd /tmp/

wget http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v4.4-wily/linux-headers-4.4.0-040400_4.4.0-040400.201601101930_all.deb

wget http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v4.4-wily/linux-headers-4.4.0-040400-generic_4.4.0-040400.201601101930_i386.deb

wget http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v4.4-wily/linux-image-4.4.0-040400-generic_4.4.0-040400.201601101930_i386.deb

sudo dpkg -i *.deb

Restart computer after installation.

Uninstall the 4.4 Kernel:

For any reason you want to remove this kernel, restart your computer and select boot with the previous Kernel (under Advanced Options) when you’re at Grub boot menu, after logged in run below command in a terminal:

sudo apt-get remove linux-headers-4.4.0-* linux-image-4.4.0-*; sudo update-grub

Twitter

I'm a freelance blogger who started using Ubuntu in 2007 and wishes to share my experiences and some useful tips with Ubuntu beginners and lovers. Please comment to let me know if the tutorial is outdated! And, notify me if you find any typo/grammar/language mistakes. English is not my native language. Contact me via ubuntuhandbook1@gmail.com Buy me a coffee: Buymeacoffee | https://ko-fi.com/ubuntuhandbook1 |

10 responses to How to Install Linux Kernel 4.4 in Ubuntu

  1. Hi.
    My notebook is an AMD A4 3300m APU with dedicated graphics card Radeon HD 6480G.
    My question is about the compatibility with this Kernel and the new driver (AMD Crimson).
    Thanks.

  2. Thank you for this. I just bought parts for a Skylake media server (i5 6600k) and was wanting to install Ubuntu or Ubuntu Server on it. This guide will help me get that done. I will update the results after I get the machine built this weekend and OS/Kernel installed on it.

  3. Hoover Campoverde January 16, 2016 at 11:16 pm

    Grateful with your big help my friend. Now mi laptop using Ubuntu 14.04.3LTS amd64 is updated with the new kernel v4.4.0-040400-generic.

    Until now it works fine.

  4. Which version of Ubuntu is concerned … ???
    We can t do it for Xubuntu 14.04.3.

  5. After upgrading kernel, do we need to install patches as mentioned in Readme: http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v4.4-wily/README

    For example, if using ubuntu 15.10 with kernel 4.4 LTS, how to get kernel patches including latest zero day vulnerability? Do we still get patches for kernel 4.4 via s/w updater?

  6. Ok, but is the problem with nvidia and vbox modules. This kernel don’t have those ootb.

  7. i’d like to add – this is NOT recommended for “normal” users! if you do this, u’ll have to keep your kernel updated manually for _every_ new kernel (or even upstream patch) that is to come; if you’re just a normal user and your system works… rather dont do ;)

  8. Would be useful if you noted, or linked to notes … 4.4 does not (yet?) appear in *buntu lts / hwe packages. Those packages typically involve corresponding and correlating xorg packages.

    So I wonder … if not in lts / hwe yet, are there gotchas to separately upgrading to 4.4? e.g. If no ‘real’ reason to upgrade (in my case, I’m looking at later versions of btrfs-tools), stick with lts / hwe packages? Or not?

  9. Hi,

    After upgrading my kernel upto 4.4 some drivers were missing or not loaded :

    Wireless keyboard/mice, wifi,etc…

    I had to install also “linux-image-extra-4.4.0-38-generic” to solve the problem.

    Can you add this to your procedure ?

    Thanks.

    Regards.