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Accepted
Joe
Asked: 2020-03-01 03:05:47 +0800 CST

How can two versions of the Linux kernel show as being installed at the same time?

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When I use dpkg to list the installed Linux images on Ubuntu 18.04 LTS, I see two different versions installed. How can this be?

screenshot

uname -r reports version 5.3.0.40 as the current. Is it safe or do I need to uninstall the older version manually?

kernel 18.04

1 Answers

  1. Best Answer

    That's normal behavior.

    Your Ubuntu system will keep at least two kernels installed. Sometimes more.

    New kernels occasionally have regressions for some folks, or (for a very few) won't boot at all. The ability to boot from an older kernel is a welcome feature for folks affected by these rare issues.

    You can choose which kernel to use at the GRUB menu during boot. Generally, if you don't choose, GRUB will boot the newest kernel that it knows about. You can only choose at boot, you cannot switch kernels on a running system.

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