Supported on Slax, Zenwalk, SlackEX, and others

Aug 9, 2016 20:08 GMT  ·  By

In the good tradition of unofficial Linux kernel releases for Slackware-based GNU/Linux distributions, GNU/Linux developer Arne Exton informs us about the availability of the new Linux 4.7 kernel for Slackware 14.2 and its derivatives.

Announced by Linus Torvalds on July 24, 2016, Linux kernel 4.7 is the latest and most advanced stable kernel branch available for GNU/Linux operating systems, bringing major features like support for AMD Radeon RX 480 GPUs, a new security module, and support for generating virtual USB Device Controllers in USB/IP.

Arne Exton took the time to bake a 64-bit variant of Linux kernel 4.7 for his SlackEX distro, which is based on Slackware Current (14.2), and released it for any other Slackware-based operating system, including Slackware 14.2, as well as the popular Slax and Zenwalk.

"I have compiled a very useful (as I think) 64-bit kernel for Slackware-Current (14.2) and/or all Slackware derivatives. For example Slax, Zenwalk and SlackEX. The kernel is compiled exactly the same way as Slackware’s latest kernel huge. 'My' kernel 4.7-x86_64-exton has even more support for new hardware," said Arne Exton.

Here's how to install Linux kernel 4.7 in Slackware-based OSes

Before attempting to install this unofficial kernel on your Slackware-based OS, we have to warn you that it's only supported on 64-bit systems. Moreover, it will overwrite the existing kernel package, implicitly the /boot/vmlinuz file, meaning that you need to make a backup of it first, as well as the GRUB bootloader (if you have a custom setup).

Also, if you're using an Nvidia graphics card, please note that you must remove the blacklisting of the Nouveau open source video driver in both the nvidia-installer-disable-nouveau.conf and blacklist.conf files located in the /etc/modprobe.d directory. And, of course, please keep in mind that this kernel version is not officially supported.

To proceed with the installation, download the linux-kernel-4.7-x86_64-exton.txz archive from Arne Exton's website, save it to your Home folder and verify the MD5 checksum, then extract the archive's contents. Use the command below to install the kernel and don't forget to reboot your machine once the installation has finished.

installpkg linux-kernel-4.7-x86_64-exton.txz