The Linux Kernel 5.15 LTS has been released, and below we will show you how to install it on Ubuntu or Linux Mint distributions in a few easy steps.
Linux Kernel 5.15 was released on October 31, 2021 and it brings some interesting news characteristics, like a new NTFS file system implementation that doesn't require you to use software third party like NTFS-3G for full NTFS disk management.
It also offers some new features for users of the Btrfs and XFS file systems, support for Nintendo Wii consoles, multicast support for VLANs, SMB server kernel, new r8188eu Realtek wireless LAN driver to replace the old rtl8188eu driver, and more.
Best of all, Linux Kernel 5.15 is in the LTS (Long Term Support) series of kernels, and will be supported for at least two years.
And now the eternal question… why upgrade the Linux kernel? If the possibilities mentioned above do not excite you, do not do it.
But if you need support for existing or new hardware supported by Linux Kernel 5.15 or if you are having hardware issues with your current kernel version, why not give it a try.
Warning! You should be aware that Linux Kernel 5.15 has just been released and may not be supported by all software programs or drivers, such as proprietary NVIDIA graphics driver. So if you're using NVIDIA GPU for gaming or anything else, you'll have to wait until NVIDIA starts supporting Linux Kernel 5.15.
Below we will use the Ubuntu kernel PPA file provided by Ubuntu developers. These kernel packages are not signed, which means that they cannot be installed on UEFI / Secure Boot systems. Therefore, you must first disable Secure Boot to install the 5.15 kernel.
Installation is very easy. Just download Linux 5.15 in a folder. Here are the links for 64-bit systems, but you can also install the Linux 5.15 kernel on ARM64, s390x and ppc64el systems.
https://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v5.15/amd64/linux-image-unsigned-5.15.0-051500-generic_5.15.0-051500.202110312130_amd64.deb
https://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v5.15/amd64/linux-modules-5.15.0-051500-generic_5.15.0-051500.202110312130_amd64.deb
Open a terminal in the folder where you downloaded the new kernel packages by right-clicking and selecting "Open in Terminal". Make sure you have the correct DEB packages in the folder and run the following command.
sudo dpkg -i *.debThe command will install the Linux Kernel 5.15. You will have to wait until the installation process is complete and then you will have to restart your computer.
If you want to remove the Linux 5.15 kernel from your system, simply remove the packages you have installed using the easy Synaptic Package Manager path.
