Question

CentOS6: why i can't update to kernel-2.6.32-642.6.2.el6.x86_64 ?

Posted November 2, 2016 4.6k views
CentOS System Tools

uname -r

2.6.32-504.12.2.el6.x86_64

rpm -qa |grep kernel

kernel-2.6.32-504.12.2.el6.x8664
kernel-2.6.32-642.3.1.el6.x8664
kernel-2.6.32-642.4.2.el6.x8664
kernel-2.6.32-642.6.1.el6.x8664
kernel-firmware-2.6.32-642.6.2.el6.noarch
kernel-headers-2.6.32-642.6.2.el6.x8664
kernel-2.6.32-642.6.2.el6.x8664
dracut-kernel-004-409.el6_8.2.noarch

yum update is working everyday. According to log, new kernel has been already installed.
but after reboot, my OS still use 2.6.32-504.12.2.

Is there anything I can do? Does it mean that server isn’t compatible with new kernel?

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3 answers
xMudrii November 2, 2016

Did you switched to internally managed kernel? If not, this could make a problem, as for older Droplet, it was managed from Control Panel.
Look at tutorial and if this is the case, follow it and try to update again.

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  • DingXuan November 2, 2016

    Thanks for reply!
    I just found out I should set kernel from control panel too.
    but there isn’t any new version in the list.
    So it seems that I still can not use the latest kernel.

    Due to the latest kernel bug “dirty COW”, digital ocean team need to update system asap.

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    • xMudrii November 2, 2016

      It’s updated and there is tutorial how to fix it.
      How To Protect Your Server Against the Dirty COW Linux Vulnerability will show you how to do it.
      But before following it you need to change Kernel from Control Panel to DigitalOcean GrubLoader. After you select it from drop down menu click on Change button. When it finish power off Droplet (power off is required!) and you can follow “dirty COW” tutorial. The steps needed to change kernel is from tutorial I linked in first answer - How To Update a DigitalOcean Server’s Kernel. It is required before you follow “dirty COW” one.

      How To Protect Your Server Against the Dirty COW Linux Vulnerability
      by Hazel Virdó
      On October 21, 2016, a privilege escalation vulnerability in the Linux kernel was disclosed. The bug is nicknamed Dirty COW because the underlying issue was a race condition in the way kernel handles copy-on-write (COW). Exploiting this bug means that a regular, unprivileged user on your server can gain write access to any file they can read, and can therefore increase their privileges on the system. This tutorial explains how to protect your server from this vulnerability.
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DingXuan November 2, 2016

Btw, I’m using CentOS 6.8

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DingXuan November 2, 2016

Thank you so much xMudrll.
Your info is very helpful!!!

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