/kernel-notify

A program to notify users if their kernel is outdated, and help maintain installed kernels, or install new ones

Primary LanguageShellGNU General Public License v3.0GPL-3.0

kernel-notify

  • A program to fetch the latest kernel version on login and notify users if their kernel is no longer the latest
  • Updating and removing the kernel is supported on Debian-based systems
  • If you have an issue, please file a bug report under Issues
  • GitHub Link: https://github.com/stuarthayhurst/kernel-notify
  • This project is archived, as I don't have a strong use case for it anymore
    • Feel free to contact me about unarchiving it if you want to submit a pull request :)

Code of Conduct and Contributing:

  • Read CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md and CONTRIBUTING.md in docs/ for information

Installation:

  • Run ./install.sh

  • OR: (Debian - Source)

    • Run ./install.sh -d

  • OR: (Debian - Release)

    • Download the latest deb from the Releases page
    • Run sudo dpkg -i kernel-notify-x.x_all.deb

Uninstallation:

  • Run sudo make uninstall

Packaging:

  • Run make dist
  • This will prepare the code for release and build a .deb

Updating:

  • Install the program, using the instructions in the Installation section

Notes:

  • Kernel-notify starting on login can be toggled with kernel-notify --enable-autostart and kernel-notify --disable-autostart
  • Kernel-notify sending notifications can be toggled in the config, with the muted=0/1 option
  • On .deb installation, the package will attempt to rebuild the notifications program if the architecture is not amd64
  • Man page available with man kernel-notify

Help:

  • Program Help:

    • -g | --gui : Launch the program with a gui, if available
    • -h | --help : Display the help page
    • -v | --version : Display program version
    • -o | --old-config : List old and new config values
    • -c | --config : Change / read a config value
    • --enable-autostart : Enable kernel-notify starting on login
    • --disable-autostart : Disable kernel-notify starting on login

  • Feature Help:

    • -m | --minimal-output : Only print the latest kernel version
    • -L | --list-available : List all kernels available to install
    • -r | --remove-kernel : Remove a kernels from a menu
    • -l | --list-kernels : List installed kernels
    • -a | --add-kernel : Install a new kernel
    • -p | --precision : Check either major or minor kernel updates

Dependencies:

  • Required:

    • grep & sed
    • coreutils (8.25+)
    • curl
    • diffutils
    • file
    • git
    • less
    • psmisc
    • policykit-1

  • Optional:

    • libnotify4 (Notifications)
    • zenity
    • sudo

  • Build:

    • dpkg (Used in package building and program + kernel installation / removal)
    • gzip (Used to compress manpage)
    • libnotify-dev & g++ && pkg-config (Used in package building (.deb), installing and updating (source))
    • make
    • sed (Update versions and modify files at build / install time)
    • Optional: inkscape (Used to generate .pngs from .svgs)
    • Optional: optipng (Compress icons)

Common Problems:

  • Updating failed:

    • Download the latest release from the Releases page (.deb or .tar.gz / .zip)
    • Follow the install instructions in the Installation section
    • Submit a bug report if installing failed, following the template and giving all available information

  • Permission error:

    • The issue is likely caused by the current user not having access to a file in /tmp/ if kernel-notify was previously run as root
    • To solve the issue, reboot the machine and try again. If the issue persists, file a bug report

Config:

  • Read a value: kernel-notify -c configName
  • Change a value: kernel-notify -c configName configValue OR kernel-notify -c configName="configValue"
  • The config can also be changed by editing /usr/share/kernel-notify/config
  • Example:
  • Show all configs and their values: kernel-notify -c
  • Change the value of 'maxkernelcount' to '3': kernel-notify -c maxkernelcount 3
  • Or you can use: kernel-notify -c maxkernelcount="3"
  • Configs:
    • '/' shows multiple options
    • '-' shows a range of values
  • muted="true/false" - Whether or not to send notifications for kernel and program updates
  • kernelcountwarning="true/false" - Show a warning if the number of kernels installed exceeds maxkernelcount
  • maxkernelcount="1-99" - Number of kernels installed before warning users (e.g. "5" would notify on the 6th kernel installed)
  • kernelcleanup="true/false" - Whether or not to clean up kernel module directory after dpkg exits
  • priority="critical/normal/low" - Keep notifications with buttons on-screen until dismissed or not
  • checkingprecision="minor/major" - Whether to check for major and minor updates or only major version updates
  • primarycheckingmethod="web/git" - Which method to use to check latest kernel version
  • kernelrepourl="git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux-stable.git" - Git repository for checking major and minor versions

License

  • GNU GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE (v3)
  • Kernel-notify Copyright (C) 2021 Stuart Hayhurst