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I see the linux-hwe-generic package as part of the kernels you can install in Ubuntu.

What is hardware enablement (HWE)?

2 Answers 2

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Brand new hardware devices are released to the public always more frequently. And we want such hardware to be always working on Ubuntu, even if it has been released after an Ubuntu release. Six months (the time it takes for a new Ubuntu release to be made) is a very long period in the IT field. Hardware Enablement (HWE) is about that: catching up with the newest hardware technologies.

Now, how does Ubuntu want to reach the goal of Hardware Enablement? Using rolling releases for the kernel: as soon as a new kernel is released, it is packaged for Ubuntu, tested (via the proposed pocket and special Q/A methodologies), and made available to Ubuntu users. This method has of course some disadvantages: releasing a new kernel too quickly may introduce some bugs and issues, and may not be suitable for the enterprise.

The solution? Offering different kernels for different users. Therefore Ubuntu will offer at least two kernels: the General Availability (GA) kernel, i.e. the most stable kernel, which does not get updated to point releases; and the Hardware Enablement (HWE) kernel, i.e. the most recent kernel released. This is why you are seeing both the linux-generic and the linux-generic-hwe packages.

Finally, if you are interested in developing or testing the newest kernel technologies, look at the Ubuntu Hardware Debugging web site.

References:

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    Do you happen to know if there's a more current link describing the different kernel flavors? Currently a bit stumped between linux-generic, linux-current-generic, linux-generic-lts-<release> in precise lts Jun 24, 2015 at 14:11
  • Did this stop before Ubuntu 18.04? Ubuntu 18.04 contains transitional package linux-generic-hwe-16.04 which just depends on linux-generic. May 29, 2018 at 15:34
  • How do I see or choose which kernel is actually being used in my system? uname -r simply results: 4.15.0-24-generic
    – w-sky
    Jul 21, 2018 at 12:01
  • @StéphaneGourichon If you are using the 16.04 HWE stack, the kernel will keep rolling until the next LTS, which in this case is 18.04. After that, you will stay with the LTS kernel until 16.04 reaches EOL. Sep 6, 2018 at 9:26
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    @w-sky You can check the BOOT_IMAGE parameter in /proc/cmdline. Run this command to find out the package name: sed 's/^BOOT_IMAGE=\([^ ]*\) .*/\1/' /proc/cmdline | sed 's/.efi.signed//' | xargs dpkg -S. Sep 6, 2018 at 9:44
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Ubuntu 16.04 and later

The 18.04.2 and newer point releases will ship with an updated kernel and X stack by default for the desktop. Server installations will default to the General Availability (GA) kernel and provide the Hardware Enablement (HWE) kernel as optional. If you install the Hardware Enablement kernel, you also have to remove the GA kernel packages or else you'll keep getting updates for both.

The 18.04 HWE Stacks will follow a new Rolling Update Model as documented at Ubuntu Rolling LTS Enablement Stack wiki.

Installing the HWE stack is simple.

22.04-24.04

sudo apt install linux-generic-hwe-22.04

20.04-22.10

sudo apt install linux-generic-hwe-20.04

16.04/18.04

Desktop

sudo apt install linux-generic-hwe-"`lsb_release -r -s`" xserver-xorg-hwe-"`lsb_release -r -s`" 

Server

sudo apt install linux-generic-hwe-"`lsb_release -r -s`" 

Source: revised from Ubuntu LTS Enablemen Stack wiki

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    Also the given link does not mention a 20.04 HWE at all, where did you get that information? Sep 29, 2020 at 8:35
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    The wiki that I linked to as a source is not up-to-date. I noticed that it wasn't up-to-date, so I updated it myself. That's why I did not provide an external source for the updated information because I am the source.
    – karel
    Sep 29, 2020 at 8:46
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    @nd34567s32e Thanks for the heads up. I corrected my answer.
    – karel
    Aug 15, 2021 at 1:03
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    @karel, a minor change, ubuntu version should be "20.04 and later" for linux-generic-hwe-20.04, just tested in my laptop Aug 30, 2021 at 8:25
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    In my experience, you also have to remove the GA kernel packages. Else you keep getting updates for both. See askubuntu.com/a/885582/243321 Aug 4, 2023 at 12:12

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