You Can Now Run a Custom Linux 4.14.2 Kernel on Your Slackware PC, Here's How

GNU/Linux developer Arne Exton released a new custom kernel based on the latest Linux 4.14.2 upstream kernel release for Slackware and Slackware-based GNU/Linux distributions.

Linux kernel 4.14 is not only the latest and greatest kernel available for Linux-based operating systems, but also a long-term support branch that will receive maintenance updates for the next couple of years. It brings support for new hardware and lots of performance optimizations, so it's the recommended version for all Linux PCs.

The latest release is Linux kernel 4.14.2, and you can now install it on your Slackware Current 14.2 operating system, as well as other Slackware derivatives, including Slax, Zenwalk, and Arne Exton's SlackEX distro. The custom kernel is compiled by Arne Exton with support for more hardware devices and other optimizations.

"I have compiled a very useful (as I think) 64 bit kernel for Slackware Current (14.2) and/or all Slackware derivatives," said Arne Exton. "The kernel is compiled exactly in the same way as Slackware’s latest kernel huge. "My" kernel 4.14.2-x86_64-exton has even more support for new hardware, etc."

Here's how to install Linux kernel 4.14.2 on Slackware 14.2

Those of you who want to give Arne Exton's custom Linux 4.14.2 kernel a try on their 64-bit Slackware 14.2 installations should first make a backup of the /boot/vmlinuz file as it will be overwritten, as well as to modify their custom GRUB bootloader configurations appropriately after the installation.

Furthermore, if you're using a Nvidia graphics card, you'll have to remove the blacklisting of the open-source Nouveau graphics driver in the nvidia-installer-disable-nouveau.conf and blacklist.conf files, which are located in the /etc/modprobe.d directory.

With that in mind, you can download Arne Exton's linux-kernel-4.14.2-x86_64-exton.txz archive (verify the MD5 for integrity), save it in your Home directory, and then run the following command in a terminal emulator. Restart your computer and your Slackware distro is now powered by Linux kernel 4.14.2.