LIVE-KERNEL-UPDATER(1)

NAME
live-kernel-updater -- change the kernel on a live-usb

SYNOPSIS
Change the kernel on a running live-usb system or on an external live-usb stick. You MUST install a new kernel and then do a remaster before you can boot from a new kernel. You will not be allowed to update if these steps have not already been taken.

BASIC OPERATION
You can specify all the actions to be taken with command line parameters. Use the --help option for more details.

When something is not specified by a command line option then a menu will be presented from which you can select what you want to do. There are three main menus:

Select the System to update
    If you are running from a live-usb, then that will be the first choice in this menu. If other usb sticks are plugged in then they will show up in this menu too. If only one item would appear in the menu then that item is selected automatically.

Select an action to perform
    There are currently at most five possible actions. There are two default live kernels "vmlinuz" and "vmlinuz1". For each default live kernel there can be an update action and a rollback action but you need to have already done an update for the rollback action to appear and you need to have installed at least one new kernel for the update action to appear. This menu will still be presented even if it contains only one action.

    In addition to the update and rollback actions there is also an action to only update the initrd. By default we use the initrd at /usr/lib/iso-template/template-initrd.gz as the template. This will let you seamlessly update the initrd portion of the live system on a running live-usb.

Select new kernel
    If you select an update action and there is more than one new kernel available then you will be given a choice of which new kernel to update to. If you have already done an update then the original kernel is not considered to be a new kernel since you can get back to it with the rollback action.

FAQ

Why is a remaster required?
    If the kernel modules for the new kernel are not installed in the linuxfs file and we update the live kernel then your system won't boot correctly. A remaster will put the new kernel and its modules into your compressed linuxfs file. While there may be some circumstances where having the kernel installed in the linuxfs may not be absolutely required, it is much safer for us to check and make sure it is there before we update the live kernel.

COPYRIGHT
Copyright 2016 BitJam for antiX <http://antix.freeforums.org/>