There are multiple utilities is available for Ubuntu to upgrade Linux kernel to latest stable version. We had already wrote about those utility in the past such as Linux Kernel Utilities (LKU), Ubuntu Kernel Upgrade Utility (UKUU) and Ubunsys.
Also few utilities are available and we will be planning to include in the further article like, ubuntu-mainline-kernel.sh and manual method from mainline kernel.
Today also we are going to teach you the similar utility called UKTools. You can try any one of these utilities to get your Linux kernels to the latest releases.
Latest kernel release comes with security bug fixes and some improvements so, better to keep latest one to get reliable, secure and better hardware performance.
Some times the latest kernel version might be buggy and can crash your system so, it’s your own risk. I would like to advise you to not to install on production environment.
**Suggested Read :**
**(#)** [Linux Kernel Utilities (LKU) – A Set Of Shell Scripts To Compile, Install & Update Latest Kernel In Ubuntu/LinuxMint][1]
**(#)** [Ukuu – An Easy Way To Install/Upgrade Linux Kernel In Ubuntu based Systems][2]
**(#)** [6 Methods To Check The Running Linux Kernel Version On System][3]
### What Is UKTools
[UKTools][4] stands for Ubuntu Kernel Tools, that contains two shell scripts `ukupgrade` and `ukpurge`.
ukupgrade stands for “Ubuntu Kernel Upgrade”, which allows user to upgrade Linux kernel to latest stable version for Ubuntu/Mint and derivatives based on [kernel.ubuntu.com][5].
ukpurge stands for “Ubuntu Kernel Purge”, which allows user to remove old Linux kernel images/headers in machine for Ubuntu/ Mint and derivatives. It will keep only three kernel versions.
There is no GUI for this utility, however it looks very simple and straight forward so, newbie can perform the upgrade without any issues.
I’m running Ubuntu 17.10 and the current kernel version is below.
```
$ uname -a
Linux ubuntu 4.13.0-39-generic #44-Ubuntu SMP Thu Apr 5 14:25:01 UTC 2018 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux
```
Run the following command to get the list of installed kernel on your system (Ubuntu and derivatives). Currently i’m holding `seven` kernels.
```
$ dpkg --list | grep linux-image
ii linux-image-4.13.0-16-generic 4.13.0-16.19 amd64 Linux kernel image for version 4.13.0 on 64 bit x86 SMP
ii linux-image-4.13.0-17-generic 4.13.0-17.20 amd64 Linux kernel image for version 4.13.0 on 64 bit x86 SMP
ii linux-image-4.13.0-32-generic 4.13.0-32.35 amd64 Linux kernel image for version 4.13.0 on 64 bit x86 SMP
ii linux-image-4.13.0-36-generic 4.13.0-36.40 amd64 Linux kernel image for version 4.13.0 on 64 bit x86 SMP
ii linux-image-4.13.0-37-generic 4.13.0-37.42 amd64 Linux kernel image for version 4.13.0 on 64 bit x86 SMP
ii linux-image-4.13.0-38-generic 4.13.0-38.43 amd64 Linux kernel image for version 4.13.0 on 64 bit x86 SMP
ii linux-image-4.13.0-39-generic 4.13.0-39.44 amd64 Linux kernel image for version 4.13.0 on 64 bit x86 SMP
ii linux-image-extra-4.13.0-16-generic 4.13.0-16.19 amd64 Linux kernel extra modules for version 4.13.0 on 64 bit x86 SMP
ii linux-image-extra-4.13.0-17-generic 4.13.0-17.20 amd64 Linux kernel extra modules for version 4.13.0 on 64 bit x86 SMP
ii linux-image-extra-4.13.0-32-generic 4.13.0-32.35 amd64 Linux kernel extra modules for version 4.13.0 on 64 bit x86 SMP
ii linux-image-extra-4.13.0-36-generic 4.13.0-36.40 amd64 Linux kernel extra modules for version 4.13.0 on 64 bit x86 SMP
ii linux-image-extra-4.13.0-37-generic 4.13.0-37.42 amd64 Linux kernel extra modules for version 4.13.0 on 64 bit x86 SMP
ii linux-image-extra-4.13.0-38-generic 4.13.0-38.43 amd64 Linux kernel extra modules for version 4.13.0 on 64 bit x86 SMP
ii linux-image-extra-4.13.0-39-generic 4.13.0-39.44 amd64 Linux kernel extra modules for version 4.13.0 on 64 bit x86 SMP
ii linux-image-generic 4.13.0.39.42 amd64 Generic Linux kernel image
```
### How To Install UKTools
Just run the below commands to install UKTools on Ubuntu and derivatives.
Run the below command to clone UKTools repository on your system.
```
$ git clone https://github.com/usbkey9/uktools
```
Navigate to uktools directory.
```
$ cd uktools
```
Run the Makefile to generate the necessary files. Also this will automatically install latest available kernel. Just reboot the system in order to use the latest kernel.
```
$ sudo make
[sudo] password for daygeek:
Creating the directories if neccessary
Linking profile.d file for reboot message
Linking files to global sbin directory
Ubuntu Kernel Upgrade - by Mustafa Hasturk
------------------------------------------
This script is based on the work of Mustafa Hasturk and was reworked by
Caio Oliveira and modified and fixed by Christoph Kepler
Current Development and Maintenance by Christoph Kepler
Do you want the Stable Release (if not sure, press y)? (y/n): y
Do you want the Generic kernel? (y/n): y
Do you want to autoremove old kernel? (y/n): y
no crontab for root
Do you want to update the kernel automatically? (y/n): y
Setup complete. Update the kernel right now? (y/n): y
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
The following packages were automatically installed and are no longer required:
Re-check the list of installed kernels using the below command. This will keep only old three kernels.
```
$ dpkg --list | grep linux-image
ii linux-image-4.13.0-38-generic 4.13.0-38.43 amd64 Linux kernel image for version 4.13.0 on 64 bit x86 SMP
ii linux-image-4.13.0-39-generic 4.13.0-39.44 amd64 Linux kernel image for version 4.13.0 on 64 bit x86 SMP
ii linux-image-extra-4.13.0-38-generic 4.13.0-38.43 amd64 Linux kernel extra modules for version 4.13.0 on 64 bit x86 SMP
ii linux-image-extra-4.13.0-39-generic 4.13.0-39.44 amd64 Linux kernel extra modules for version 4.13.0 on 64 bit x86 SMP
ii linux-image-generic 4.13.0.39.42 amd64 Generic Linux kernel image
ii linux-image-unsigned-4.16.7-041607-generic 4.16.7-041607.201805021131 amd64 Linux kernel image for version 4.16.7 on 64 bit x86 SMP
```
For next time you can call `do-kernel-upgrade` utility for new kernel installation. If any new kernel is available then it will install. If no, it will report no kernel update is available at the moment.
```
$ do-kernel-upgrade
Kernel up to date. Finishing
```
Run the `do-kernel-purge` command once again to confirm on this. If this found more than three kernels then it will remove. If no, it will report nothing to remove message.
```
$ do-kernel-purge
Ubuntu Kernel Purge - by Caio Oliveira
This script will only keep three versions: the first and the last two, others will be purge
---Current version:
Linux Kernel 4.16.7-041607 Generic (linux-image-4.16.7-041607-generic)
