I'm on Ubuntu, and of course, their repos are out of date, even with the kernel. I currently have 2.6.24-19, whereas the latest stable version is 2.6.26.2. My question is this: Since my current kernel has been installed with a binary package, can I still update it with the patch from kernel.org, or do I have to recompile the entire thing from source? TIA
Most distros don't use the latest kernel. They work on a specific kernel version for a particular release of their distro and maintain that version for the entire lifetime of the release. If you want the latest kernel, then you have to compile from source. This process does not upgrade the distro kernel, but it install your own custom kernel alongside the distro kernel.
Ahh, thanks for the clarification :)
hi.. currently i am using RHEL AS4 (kernel version 2.6.9-5) for which i could not able to install sc92031 PCI Ethernet Adapter drivers. I came to know that the latest kernel 2.6.26.2 will solve this problem. I have downloaded the tar.bz2 file. Can you pls tell me how to upgrade my current kernel version. I am verymuch thankful to you if u can give the step by step procedure. ..Thankyou
Take a look here for some tips.