Frequently Asked Questions

Kernel Issues:

My kernel isn’t booting! Help! 😱 First off, don’t panic. Most likely, you need to update your firmware. Grab the latest from https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/firmware/linux-firmware.git or use this handy clone command:

apt install git
cd /lib
mv firmware firmware.old
git clone  git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/firmware/linux-firmware.git firmware

How do I go back to my old kernel? 🔙 Your bootloader (GRUB usually) has your back! Just pick the older kernel during boot, and then remove these packages.
Will this kernel work on [insert hardware or hypervisor]? 🤔 Since we use the Debian kernel config, it should work anywhere the default Debian kernel ran – unless you’ve got something truly exotic. If in doubt, try the ‘vanilla’ kernel first and report back!
Is this compatible with Ubuntu? ✅ Yes, it is! Just grab the ‘vanilla’ kernel if you’re running a physical machine.
What’s the difference between ‘vm’ and ‘vanilla’? 🧠 ‘Vanilla’ kernels include all drivers for physical machines (and some common VM drivers). ‘VM’ kernels are stripped down for virtualized environments.
Why “buster” in the repo names? 🤨 It started with Debian 10 (“Buster”), and I wasn’t sure it would last this long!

Want to add a driver or change something? ✨ File an issue – make sure the driver is supported upstream in the kernel itself, though. I’m not writing custom modules.
Why only AMD64? 🤔 Resources are limited, so for now, it’s just AMD64. If you need something else, consider sponsoring the project!
Use at your own risk! ⚠️ This is common sense, but double-checking never hurts.
Where can I find sources? 💻 All the kernel goodies are at https://kernel.org, and my config files are in this directory.
The kernel doesn’t work for me! 🤯 Help me out by opening an issue – I need to know what you’re trying to do!