From Newsgroup: alt.os.linux.mint

Okay, in update manager there is a checkbox to get update manager to purge excess kernels.
However I've 3 of them now, and I thought at one time I had 4.

I know how to do it manually. Sudo apt autoremove doesn't do it now with 3.

So what's the key to this? It used to do it with the autoremove in 22.2, but seems now,
at least on my machine, in 22.3 it don't do it.
--
Mint 22.3, Thunderbird 140.10.0esr, Firefox 150.0.1
Alan K.

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From Newsgroup: alt.os.linux.mint

On 08/05/2026 23:16, Alan K. wrote:

Okay, in update manager there is a checkbox to get update manager to
purge excess kernels.
However I've 3 of them now, and I thought at one time I had 4.

I know how to do it manually.-a-a Sudo apt autoremove doesn't do it now
with 3.

So what's the key to this?-a-a It used to do it with the autoremove in
22.2, but seems now, at least on my machine, in 22.3 it don't do it.

Try running this:

sudo apt purge --autoremove







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From Newsgroup: alt.os.linux.mint

On 5/8/26 6:45 PM, George wrote:

On 08/05/2026 23:16, Alan K. wrote:

Okay, in update manager there is a checkbox to get update manager to
purge excess kernels.
However I've 3 of them now, and I thought at one time I had 4.

I know how to do it manually.-a-a Sudo apt autoremove doesn't do it now
with 3.

So what's the key to this?-a-a It used to do it with the autoremove in
22.2, but seems now, at least on my machine, in 22.3 it don't do it.

Try running this:

sudo apt purge --autoremove

same thing. says nothing to remove upgrade or install
--
Mint 22.3, Thunderbird 140.10.0esr, Firefox 150.0.1
Alan K.
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From Newsgroup: alt.os.linux.mint

On Fri, 5/8/2026 9:34 PM, Alan K. wrote:

On 5/8/26 6:45 PM, George wrote:

On 08/05/2026 23:16, Alan K. wrote:

Okay, in update manager there is a checkbox to get update manager to
purge excess kernels.
However I've 3 of them now, and I thought at one time I had 4.

I know how to do it manually.-a-a Sudo apt autoremove doesn't do it now
with 3.

So what's the key to this?-a-a It used to do it with the autoremove in
22.2, but seems now, at least on my machine, in 22.3 it don't do it.

Try running this:

sudo apt purge --autoremove

same thing.-a-a says nothing to remove upgrade or install

For some reason, a search tells me of a "purge-old-kernels" script.
Apparently, this is only a valid approach before the year 2012.

sudo apt install byobu

/usr/bin/purge-old-kernels <=== the logic has already been removed, need an old copy.

https://github.com/algodelinux/purge-old-kernels/blob/master/purge-old-kernels

show_installed_kernels () {
INSTALLED_KERNELS=$(ls /boot/vmlinuz-* | sed -e "s/^\/boot\/vmlinuz-//" | awk -F'[.-]' '{print $1"\t"$2"\t"$3"\t"$4"\t"$0}' | sort -k1 -k2 -k3 -k4 -n | cut -f5)
echo -e "Installed kernels:"
echo -e "${GREEN}$INSTALLED_KERNELS${NC}"
}

Which tells us basically, we should look through the
/boot/vmlinuz-* for evidence of kernels :-)

total 215912
drwxr-xr-x 3 root root 4096 Apr 23 09:34 .
drwxr-xr-x 22 root root 4096 Apr 23 09:36 ..
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 296189 Nov 20 03:36 config-6.14.0-37-generic -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 302833 Mar 25 14:31 config-6.17.0-22-generic drwxr-xr-x 5 root root 4096 Apr 26 12:32 grub
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 28 Apr 23 09:33 initrd.img -> initrd.img-6.17.0-22-generic
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 82729428 Apr 23 09:12 initrd.img-6.14.0-37-generic -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 85795499 Apr 23 09:34 initrd.img-6.17.0-22-generic lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 28 Apr 23 09:04 initrd.img.old -> initrd.img-6.14.0-37-generic
-rw------- 1 root root 9159323 Nov 20 03:36 System.map-6.14.0-37-generic -rw------- 1 root root 10475441 Mar 25 14:31 System.map-6.17.0-22-generic lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 25 Apr 23 09:33 vmlinuz -> vmlinuz-6.17.0-22-generic
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 15571336 Nov 20 03:38 vmlinuz-6.14.0-37-generic -rw------- 1 root root 16734280 Mar 25 15:06 vmlinuz-6.17.0-22-generic lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 25 Apr 23 09:33 vmlinuz.old -> vmlinuz-6.14.0-37-generic

There is the current kernel and one older kernel (for an option as an emergency boot).

For more info about the logic and commands, try this as a reference. In particular,
it shows a --dry-run option, so you can see what the chain-saw is about to cut.

https://askubuntu.com/questions/563483/why-doesnt-apt-get-autoremove-remove-my-old-kernels

Paul


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From Newsgroup: alt.os.linux.mint

Le 09/05/2026 |a 00:16, Alan K. a |-crit-a:

Okay, in update manager there is a checkbox to get update manager to
purge excess kernels.
However I've 3 of them now, and I thought at one time I had 4.

I know how to do it manually.-a-a Sudo apt autoremove doesn't do it now
with 3.

So what's the key to this?-a-a It used to do it with the autoremove in
22.2, but seems now, at least on my machine, in 22.3 it don't do it.

it's suspect what you are saying !

22.3 it the last version of linux mint.

if you are NOT a pro office, and if you don't need a specific DRIVER !
may be compile it...dont't touch anythink avec the maj / update.

you can put ON your tux for 5 years and work well because, all
MASTERs do becarefull when they put online a website...so, what ?
the same firefox 'll work !!! thunderdird ? a client mail !!!!

hum.........
--
Amicalement,

Frenchy Friendly, & French touch !

german
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From Newsgroup: alt.os.linux.mint

On 2026-05-09 06:31, Paul wrote:

On Fri, 5/8/2026 9:34 PM, Alan K. wrote:

On 5/8/26 6:45 PM, George wrote:

On 08/05/2026 23:16, Alan K. wrote:

Okay, in update manager there is a checkbox to get update manager to
purge excess kernels.
However I've 3 of them now, and I thought at one time I had 4.

I know how to do it manually.-a-a Sudo apt autoremove doesn't do it now >>>> with 3.

So what's the key to this?-a-a It used to do it with the autoremove in >>>> 22.2, but seems now, at least on my machine, in 22.3 it don't do it.

Try running this:

sudo apt purge --autoremove

same thing.-a-a says nothing to remove upgrade or install

For some reason, a search tells me of a "purge-old-kernels" script. Apparently, this is only a valid approach before the year 2012.

I had the same problem, so I wrote a little perl script to do it right.
I also made a systemd service so the script runs at every boot.

Perl program:

#####################################
#!/usr/bin/perl --

use strict;
use warnings;
use v5.34;
use utf8;
use open qw (:std :utf8);
use feature qw (refaliasing declared_refs unicode_strings);
no warnings qw (experimental::refaliasing experimental::declared_refs);
use lib '/opt/Perl/private_modules';
use File::stat;

my ($file, $running);
my (@lines, @kernels, @files);
my (%files);

#
# Constants
#
my $kernels_to_keep = 2; #Aantal oude kernels om te bewaren

print "Starting kernel purge procedure.\n";
#1. Find all installed kernels
@lines = `dpkg --list | grep -i 'linux-image'`;
foreach (@lines) {
if (/^ii\s+linux-image-(\d[\S]+)/) {
push (@kernels, $1);
}
}
#2. Find all images in /boot
@lines = glob ("/boot/vmlinuz*");
foreach (@lines) {
if (/^\/boot\/vmlinuz-(\d[\S]+)/) {
push (@files, $1);
$file = stat ($_);
$files{$file -> mtime} = s/.+vmlinuz-(\d[\S]+)/$1/r;
}
}
#3. Check on equal number of installed kernels and images in /boot
unless (scalar (@kernels) == scalar (keys (%files))) {
die ("Discrepancy between number of installed kernels and kernel
images in /booot\n")
}
#4. Check of each installed kernel has an kernel image
@lines = sort (values (%files));
foreach (0 .. $#lines) {
unless ($lines[$_] eq $kernels[$_]) {
die "Names f kernel images and installed kernels do not match\n";
}
}
#5. Exempt most recent and running kernels
pop (@kernels); #Save most recent kernel
$running = (`uname -r` =~ s/\R\z//r);
@kernels = grep !/$running/, @kernels; #Save running kernel
for (my $i = 0; $i < $kernels_to_keep; $i++) {
pop (@kernels);
}
unless (@kernels) {
print "No kernels to remove.\n";
exit 0;
}
#6. Remove old kernels
foreach (@kernels) {
print "Purging linux_image-$_*\n";
system ("/usr/bin/apt-get -y purge linux-image-$_");
print "Purging linux_headers-$_*\n";
system ("/usr/bin/apt-get -y purge linux-headers-$_");
print "Purging linux_modules-$_*\n";
system ("/usr/bin/apt-get -y purge linux-modules-$_");
}
exit 0;
############################
Service file:

###############################
[Unit]
Description=Purge old kernels

[Service]
Type=simple
ExecStart=/usr/bin/perl /root/.misc_programs/purge_kernels.pl
Restart=no
WorkingDirectory=/root/.misc_programs

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target
################################

YMMV, no guarantees.
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From Newsgroup: alt.os.linux.mint

On 2026-05-08, George <Invalid@invalid.invalid> wrote:

On 08/05/2026 23:16, Alan K. wrote:

Okay, in update manager there is a checkbox to get update manager to
purge excess kernels.
However I've 3 of them now, and I thought at one time I had 4.

I know how to do it manually.-a-a Sudo apt autoremove doesn't do it now
with 3.

So what's the key to this?-a-a It used to do it with the autoremove in
22.2, but seems now, at least on my machine, in 22.3 it don't do it.

Try running this:

sudo apt purge --autoremove

You can delete them individually in Update Manager, under View > Kernels. I think autoremove keeps at least one extra kernel in case there is a problem with the new one.
--
Not all Jews are Zionists. Not all Zionists are Jews. Zionism rea Judaism.
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From Newsgroup: alt.os.linux.mint

On 5/9/26 7:06 AM, RonB wrote:

On 2026-05-08, George <Invalid@invalid.invalid> wrote:

On 08/05/2026 23:16, Alan K. wrote:

Okay, in update manager there is a checkbox to get update manager to
purge excess kernels.
However I've 3 of them now, and I thought at one time I had 4.

I know how to do it manually.-a-a Sudo apt autoremove doesn't do it now
with 3.

So what's the key to this?-a-a It used to do it with the autoremove in
22.2, but seems now, at least on my machine, in 22.3 it don't do it.

Try running this:

sudo apt purge --autoremove

You can delete them individually in Update Manager, under View > Kernels. I think autoremove keeps at least one extra kernel in case there is a problem with the new one.

Thanks. I think I put that in the OP. I know all the standard procedures. It's the
automatic part that I'm not getting the system to do. Or at least the 'autoremove' part.
--
Mint 22.3, Thunderbird 140.10.0esr, Firefox 150.0.1
Alan K.
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From Newsgroup: alt.os.linux.mint

On Sat, 9 May 2026 12:18:51 +0200, jjb wrote:

#1. Find all installed kernels
@lines = `dpkg --list | grep -i 'linux-image'`;
foreach (@lines) {
if (/^ii\s+linux-image-(\d[\S]+)/) {
push (@kernels, $1);
}
}

You can ask the dpkg commands for exactly the info you need, to save
parsing out unwanted cruft. HererCOs what I came up with in Python:

import subprocess

kernel_list = subprocess.check_output \
(
args = ("dpkg-query", "-f" "${Package}\n", "-W", "*linux-image*"),
text = True
).split("\n")[:-1]

print(kernel_list)

HererCOs (partial) output on my Debian Unstable system:

['linux-image-6.1.0-8-amd64', 'linux-image-6.1.0-8-amd64-unsigned',
'linux-image-6.1.0-9-amd64', 'linux-image-6.1.0-9-amd64-unsigned',
'linux-image-6.10.11-amd64', 'linux-image-6.10.11-amd64-unsigned' ...
'linux-image-6.9.10-amd64', 'linux-image-6.9.10-amd64-unsigned',
'linux-image-amd64', 'linux-image-generic']
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From Newsgroup: alt.os.linux.mint

On Sat, 9 May 2026 12:18:51 +0200, jjb wrote:

#1. Find all installed kernels
@lines = `dpkg --list | grep -i 'linux-image'`;
foreach (@lines) {
if (/^ii\s+linux-image-(\d[\S]+)/) {
push (@kernels, $1);
}
}

OK, I didnrCOt notice you were specifically checking for packages with
status = installed. HererCOs an update to my code that includes such a
check:

import subprocess

kernel_list = list \
(
n
for s, n in
(l.split("\t", 1)
for l in
subprocess.check_output
(
args = ("dpkg-query", "-f" "${Status;-1}\t${Package}\n", "-W", "*linux-image*"),
text = True
).split("\n")
if l != ""
)
if s == "i"
)

print(kernel_list)

The output list is much shorter. ;)
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From Newsgroup: alt.os.linux.mint

On 2026-05-10 06:36, Lawrence DrCOOliveiro wrote:

On Sat, 9 May 2026 12:18:51 +0200, jjb wrote:

#1. Find all installed kernels
@lines = `dpkg --list | grep -i 'linux-image'`;
foreach (@lines) {
if (/^ii\s+linux-image-(\d[\S]+)/) {
push (@kernels, $1);
}
}

OK, I didnrCOt notice you were specifically checking for packages with
status = installed. HererCOs an update to my code that includes such a
check:

import subprocess

kernel_list = list \
(
n
for s, n in
(l.split("\t", 1)
for l in
subprocess.check_output
(
args = ("dpkg-query", "-f" "${Status;-1}\t${Package}\n", "-W", "*linux-image*"),
text = True
).split("\n")
if l != ""
)
if s == "i"
)

print(kernel_list)

The output list is much shorter. ;)

Hi,
Thanks for reviewing my code. You say the output list is much shorter.
On my system, it consists of 4 lines. Stripping each line is an
efficient process in perl using a regex.
As you see, the script tries to be very conservative in deleting
kernels. Any situation differing from what I expect leads to program
abort. Feel free to adapt it to your liking.
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