Can I expect new kernels for 24.04 LTS?

[draak]

This is more of a question, than a request for help (moders, if you happen to see this, please move it to the right category).

This is the first time when I actually come across the kernel question versus Ubuntu LTS. I know internet has quite a few manuals for the question of manually installing 6.14 for 24.04, but I have the LTS image (finetuned by the company’s IT). And it has stuff, which I tried configuring by myself (although on Fedora), and after a few weeks finally gave up and installed the preconfigured image.

And if I try it and something stops working (or better yet, I, as a person, who has made not much ground level configurations, will brick the whole thing), I’m on my own. And again, this is a work pc, so I can’t simply go “whoopsie”, and do a reinstall.

But the thing is I have problems with BT, for which I bought a separate BT card. And, as always, the new version of that card came with a MediaTek chip, support for which got introduced in kernel 6.14 (at least I was able to verify both the card and chip working flawlessly on Fedora 42 live cd).

So I want to know if new versions of kernel are common as updates to LTS versions?

[anon36188615]

@draak

So I want to know if new versions of kernel are common as updates to LTS versions?

New versions of the Linux kernel are not typically common as updates to LTS (Long Term Support) versions.

LTS kernels are maintained for a longer period but receive only important bug fixes and security updates. Major new features and hardware support are usually introduced in newer major kernel releases rather than being backported to LTS versions.

If I was in charge, and you asked me if you could, It would be a plain NO!
I don’t think it would brick the system>>>But It’s just proper to change a work station Installed by your IT team.

[draak]

@anon36188615

I don’t think it would brick the system>>>But It’s just proper to change a work station Installed by the your IT team.

There is a headache called OPSWAT. And that thing verifies if the configuration of my system “complies” with security requirements. I had to give up on KDE and XFce because of that stupid thing not being able to verify the screensaver configuration… After which I completely gave up on Fedora, because it turned out that there was a second similar piece of software, and that one couldn’t even find ClamAV running.

I am considering to take the road of backups, but the whole thing is encrypted, and if I rely on it, and it somehow fails, I will not have a good day.

[ogra]

Yes, Ubuntu provides the hardware enablement stack (HWE) to bring newer kernels to LTS releases, in fact from the second point release onwards even the LTS installer ISOs ship with the HWE stack by default…

See:

Ubuntu kernel lifecycle and enablement stack | Ubuntu

[anon36188615]

@draak

I am considering to take the road of backups, but the whole thing is encrypted, and if I rely on it, and it somehow fails, I will not have a good day.

I still recommend staying the course on older kernel! Safe is always Best!

I’m super surprised that they let you enable Bluetooth in the first place…

[draak]

@ogra

hardware enablement stack (HWE)

Although I haven’t yet googled the question of how to check if the “HWE” version is installed, I do see a 6.11 kernel, which, if to believe some old posts I found while searching for my problem, was for the HWE version.

[tea-for-one]

@draak

So I want to know if new versions of kernel are common as updates to LTS versions?

In April 2024, when Ubuntu 24.04 was released, the kernel was 6.8.0-28-generic
In May 2025, the kernel is 6.11.0-25-generic

[draak]

@anon36188615

I still recommend staying the course on older kernel! Safe is always Best!

Yeah, I understand the point of a well polished kernel solution versus a fresh one (unless it was sarcasm )

@anon36188615

I’m super surprised that they let you enable Bluetooth in the first place…

I am surprised they allowed me to connect a monitor to that thing, or even turn it on

[draak]

@tea-for-one

In May 2025, the kernel is 6.11.0-25-generic

Ah, so there is hope that maybe in a few month+ 6.14 will finally be pushed to LTS.
Thanks.

[anon36188615]

@draak

(unless it was sarcasm )

Nope none found here… one dra back though:

hwe-support-status --verbose

Only LTS releases have Hardware Enablement stacks

[ogra]

@draak

Ah, so there is hope that maybe in a few month+ 6.14 will finally be pushed to LTS.

Did you bother to click the link I attached to my post above? It tells exactly when you can expect a new kernel in your LTS (there is a table)

[draak]

@ogra

Did you bother to click the link I attached to my post above?

Would you believe that my tired brain saw that there was a link only after you specifically asked this question?

I do see that 6.14 seems to be for Ubuntu 25. Well, sh…

[tea-for-one]

@draak

But the thing is I have problems with BT, for which I bought a separate BT card. And, as always, the new version of that card came with a MediaTek chip, support for which got introduced in kernel 6.14 (at least I was able to verify both the card and chip working flawlessly on Fedora 42 live cd).

Is this link any help for your MediaTek device?
https://github.com/morrownr/USB-WiFi/blob/main/home/How_to_Install_Firmware_for_Mediatek_based_USB_WiFi_adapters.md

[draak]

Hum. I don’t think I’ve that one. Saw something similar, but that one ended up in the system not passing the auth screen, fully freezing the system (not being able to access the terminal).

Will need to give it a try somehow…

[ogra]

The kernel from non-LTS usually hits the HWE stack a short while after the non-LTS has been released (look at the pattern of older LTS releases in the table), so 6.14 will soon come to 24.04…

[draak]

Thank you. Will be waiting.

[guiverc]

@tea-for-one

In April 2024, when Ubuntu 24.04 was released, the kernel was 6.8.0-28-generic
In May 2025, the kernel is 6.11.0-25-generic

If using the GA kernel stack for 24.04 LTS, users will still be using the 6.8 kernel, 6.11 is used by HWE stack users of 24.04 LTS.

---

When looking for where the kernel is, I usually explore the edge kernel package, as the newer stack appears there first.

guiverc@d7050-next:~$   rmadison linux-image-generic-hwe-24.04-edge linux-image-generic-hwe-24.04 |grep noble
 linux-image-generic-hwe-24.04-edge | 6.8.0-31.31          | noble             | amd64, arm64, armhf, ppc64el, s390x
 linux-image-generic-hwe-24.04-edge | 6.11.0-25.25~24.04.1 | noble-security    | amd64, arm64, armhf, ppc64el, s390x
 linux-image-generic-hwe-24.04-edge | 6.11.0-25.25~24.04.1 | noble-updates     | amd64, arm64, armhf, ppc64el, s390x
 linux-image-generic-hwe-24.04-edge | 6.11.0-26.26~24.04.1 | noble-proposed    | amd64, arm64, armhf, ppc64el, s390x
 linux-image-generic-hwe-24.04      | 6.8.0-31.31          | noble             | amd64, arm64, armhf, ppc64el, s390x
 linux-image-generic-hwe-24.04      | 6.11.0-25.25~24.04.1 | noble-security    | amd64, arm64, armhf, ppc64el, s390x
 linux-image-generic-hwe-24.04      | 6.11.0-25.25~24.04.1 | noble-updates     | amd64, arm64, armhf, ppc64el, s390x
 linux-image-generic-hwe-24.04      | 6.11.0-26.26~24.04.1 | noble-proposed    | amd64, arm64, armhf, ppc64el, s390x

It’s not there currently; but with Canonical Engineering Sprints running this week, they’re focused on specific things.

[juergh]

It’s really simple. An LTS HWE kernel is a rolling version that terminates at the next LTS GA version. So the final 24.04 HWE kernel is a backport of the 26.04 GA kernel. If you look back, 22.04 GA is 5.15, 22.04 HWE is 6.8, same as 24.04 GA.

$ rmadison linux-image-generic linux-image-generic-hwe-22.04 | grep jammy-updates
 linux-image-generic           | 5.15.0.139.135         | jammy-updates     | amd64, arm64, armhf, ppc64el, s390x
 linux-image-generic           | 6.8.0.59.61.1~22.04.1  | jammy-updates     | riscv64
 linux-image-generic-hwe-22.04 | 6.8.0-59.61~22.04.1    | jammy-updates     | amd64, arm64, armhf, ppc64el, s390x