0

I've heard of the /boot folder, where the kernel files are situated - Vmlinuz, strange name I expected it to be Linux something, since Linux is the name of the Kernel. However, Vmlinuz is not the only crucial file to boot the system, but there are so many, that I do not know which are essential and which just expendable.

ls /boot

shows 

abi-4.8.0-36-lowlatency         memtest86+.bin
abi-4.8.0-49-lowlatency         memtest86+.elf
abi-4.8.0-52-lowlatency         memtest86+_multiboot.bin
config-4.8.0-36-lowlatency      System.map-4.8.0-36-lowlatency
config-4.8.0-49-lowlatency      System.map-4.8.0-49-lowlatency
config-4.8.0-52-lowlatency      System.map-4.8.0-52-lowlatency
grub                            vmlinuz-4.8.0-36-lowlatency
initrd.img-4.8.0-36-lowlatency  vmlinuz-4.8.0-49-lowlatency
initrd.img-4.8.0-49-lowlatency  vmlinuz-4.8.0-52-lowlatency
initrd.img-4.8.0-52-lowlatency

I do not understand why there are so many files and why there are three files which starts with vmlinuz, I have not downloaded anything into the /boot folder.

uname -r shows

4.8.0-49-lowlatency

Does this mean I can delete all files which do not contain this release number?

Improve this question
4
  • 1
    You can delete everything in /boot and it won't "destroy your system"...
    – jasonwryan
    Commented May 18, 2017 at 20:46
  • 3
    @jasonwryan it would make it more of an adventure to reboot it though ;-).
    – Stephen Kitt
    Commented May 18, 2017 at 20:51
  • @StephenKitt Well, a live medium. An adventure for some, granted. But still a far cry from a destroyed system.
    – jasonwryan
    Commented May 18, 2017 at 21:11
  • @jasonwryan yes, definitely, I agree about its not destroying the system!
    – Stephen Kitt
    Commented May 18, 2017 at 21:14

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
2

Not quite, but I believe you can remove the other kernel versions, 4.8.0-36 and 4.8.0-52

Also, I'd strongly suggest removing them using your package manager so that uninstall scripts are run to remove the relevant entries from grub.cfg and other files.

If you indicate the distribution you're using, then I can be more specific.

Improve this answer
4
  • 1
    I’d suggest only removing the older kernels; the newer one will be used the next time the system boots.
    – Stephen Kitt
    Commented May 18, 2017 at 20:41
  • @StephenKitt If the kernel is removed using the package manager, then it will also be removed from the boot menu, so that's not the case, surely?
    – user123570
    Commented May 18, 2017 at 20:48
  • Yes, I didn’t mean that the system would be unbootable or anything, just that it would be a shame to remove a newer kernel than the currently-running one.
    – Stephen Kitt
    Commented May 18, 2017 at 20:50
  • 2
    It's usually considered a good idea to remove any older kernels except the one you've currently booted and in this case the newer kernel. There may be some unforeseen problem with the new kernel that causes it to panic on boot so it's good to keep the current kernel as it's reasonable to assume it works.
    – bodgit
    Commented May 18, 2017 at 21:45

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .