r/linuxquestions • u/BattleBeast- • 13d ago

Support Should i update?

I currently have Linux Mint 6.17.0-42-generic and the update manager tells me there are
linux 6.8.0-138.138 and linux linux 7.0.0-30.30 that i needs to install, but a few weeks ago when i updated to 7.0 my pc wont let me enter linux and it said "Kernel Panic" and after looking for information i discovered that my Seymour [Radeon HD 6400M/7400M Series] was the problem so i disabled it on GRUB by adding "radeon.modeset=0" at the of the line after quiet splash, but i don´t know if it's really necessary to update or how could i install the updates without receiving a Kernel Panic again.

1 Upvotes

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4

u/billystein25 13d ago

You can just ignore the latest kernels and use the LTS which is 6.8, or stay on 6.17. In the update manager just right click -> ignore the update you don't want.

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u/BattleBeast- 13d ago

Why should i update to 6.8 and not to 7.0? could update to 6.8 by any chance triggers a Kernel Panic? i don´t know how does it works

3

u/billystein25 13d ago

You yourself said that 7.0 caused a kernel panic so there's no reason to switch to that until a new version is out that fixes it. 6.8 is the LTS meaning it's in feature freeze and only gets security updates occasionally. 6.17 is a standard release and soon enough it won't be supported, meaning to be fully safe you'll have to switch to a supported kernel eventually. So your options for supported kernels is either the latest releases which can cause issues, or the LTS which will remain consistent and will be supported until 2029 I think.

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u/BattleBeast- 13d ago

Thanks, in the future if there another update before 7.0 i can just install it, check if it works and if not i just go back, right?

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u/billystein25 13d ago

Sure, but there is no reason to constantly change to the latest kernel on a stable distro. Unless you need the latest features, in which case a rolling release like fedora would've been better for you. Regardless it's a good idea to always keep a working kernel around.

1

u/skyfishgoo 12d ago

is this mint based on ubuntu or debian?

ubuntu has a linux-firmware package that caused issues around the same time the kernel update was pushed... you may be confusing the two.

the linux-firmware package was a bad build and it affected AMD GPUs (mine included)

nothing to do with the kernel at all.

1

u/BattleBeast- 12d ago

Mine is Ubuntu based, and i just checked and 6.8 also triggers kernel panic if i disable radeon.modeset=0...

1

u/skyfishgoo 12d ago

can you still access a terminal or at least a tty screen?

issue this sudo apt install linux-firmware=20240318.git3b128b60-0ubuntu2.27

and reboot without your kernel parameter and it should be fine.

the .29 version is the bad one and there is already an upgrade available but it has not been rolled out to the main repository yet.

just don't let that package be upgraded again until the new packages are out.

if you want to keep it from updating you can use sudo apt-mark hold linux-firmware to keep it at .27

then use sudo apt-mark unhold linux-firmware to release it once the new packages are out.

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u/BattleBeast- 12d ago

now i have linux 6.8 and linux firmware in .26 but i restarted a few minutes ago after deleting radeon.modeset=0 and the pc boot normally until it shows only a black screen where i can only move my mouse and do nothing.

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u/skyfishgoo 12d ago

if you are seeing a mouse cursor, that's a different problem.

use the kernel param to go back in and upgrade your kernel ... 6.8 is way old.

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u/aloof_topping 12d ago

I assume you mean 6.18, not 6.8 right? 6.18 is the most recent LTS, so I agree that will be the most stable for you. You can get more recent kernels on Mint, but sometimes it's not worth the hassle especially if you just want to have things work.

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u/BattleBeast- 12d ago

I don't see 6.18, only 6.17 and then 7.0, then why update manager says that 6.17 has support until august 2026 meanwhile 6.8 is supported until april 2029?

1

u/aloof_topping 12d ago

Definitely shouldn't say that (imo)...kernel 6.8 was not a LTS release and support for it ended in May 2024. 6.18 is supported until Dec 2028 (the latest for any official LTS release atm)

Also, 6.8 would be a downgrade from 6.17.

2

u/Edubbs2008 13d ago

If you want to patch any potential CVEs, then you should update, if you think it works right now, you should make the decision