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What is the convention for numbering the linux kernels? AFAIK, the numbers never seem to decrease. However, i think I've seen three kinds of schemes

  • 2.6.32-29
  • 2.6.32-29.58
  • 2.6.11.10

Can anybody explain what are the interpretations of these numbers and formats?

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2 Answers

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2.6.32-29: 2.6.32: base kernel, -29 final release by ubuntu

2.6.32-29.58: 2.6.32: base kernel, -29.58 ongoing release (-29) by ubuntu

2.6.11.10: 2.6.11: base kernel, .10 tenth patch release of it. (2.6.11 was chosen by volunteers (read Greg KH) to be a "long term maintenance" release).

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Can you clarify what you meant by ongoing release? what exactly does 58 represent? – apoorv020 Mar 21 '11 at 4:42
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From Ubuntu kernel wiki page: "The kernel package version is of the following form 2.6.35-6.9. The numbers before the - represent the base upstream version from which this kernel was forked, the first number following the - represents the ABI number, the final number is an upload number." wiki.ubuntu.com/Kernel/FAQ – Frederik Deweerdt Mar 21 '11 at 5:08
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"Linux kernel version numbering" at wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linux_kernel#Version_numbering

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