Where can I find the Linux kernel file?

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  1. Is there any common directory to find kernel file in all Linux distributions?if yes please tell me how to browse to the directory?

  2. Where can I find the Linux file in Ubuntu & RedHat operating systems?

BlueBerry - Vignesh4303

Posted 2012-08-17T08:03:36.963

Reputation: 7 221

Answers

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There no universal standard, but the kernel is usually found in the /boot directory.

David Schwartz

Posted 2012-08-17T08:03:36.963

Reputation: 58 310

5Using cat /proc/cmdline is a better method because if you use the uname -r you will not be able to tell the difference between that kernel image or a rescue image built from the same kernel version. – None – 2015-11-15T20:16:02.953

i found the directory and it lists many files may i know which is main kernel file? – BlueBerry - Vignesh4303 – 2012-08-17T08:14:47.773

1You can use uname -r to find out the version you're running and then look for a file in /boot with that name. You can also use cat /proc/cmdline to find the kernel path, but note that this path is relative to the root image at boot time, so / likely means /boot/ in the running system. – David Schwartz – 2012-08-17T08:17:51.077

1The path that the kernel reports that it was loaded from is relative to the root as it was at the time the kernel was loaded. That's probably called /boot by the time the system is fully loaded. (After the kernel has been booted, the root is "pivoted" to the normal root and the boot time root is usually called /boot in the run-time filesystem.) – David Schwartz – 2012-08-17T08:23:45.460

Asked: 2012-08-17T08:03:36.963

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Active: 2015-11-15T20:16:02.953