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