Changing Default Kernel - yes, that guy again

[AoriOjin]

inxi -Faz

System:
  Kernel: 5.10.87-1-lts x86_64 bits: 64 compiler: gcc v: 11.1.0
    parameters: BOOT_IMAGE=/@/boot/vmlinuz-linux-lts
    root=UUID=1409d596-84e3-4768-b0e5-996dc20bb2a5 rw rootflags=subvol=@
    quiet splash rd.udev.log_priority=3 vt.global_cursor_default=0
    systemd.unified_cgroup_hierarchy=1 loglevel=3
  Desktop: LXQt 1.0.0 tk: Qt 5.15.2 info: cairo-dock, lxqt-panel
    wm: kwin_x11 vt: 1 dm: SDDM Distro: Garuda Linux base: Arch Linux
Machine:
  Type: Desktop Mobo: INTEL model: HM65DESK serial: <superuser required>
    UEFI: American Megatrends v: 4.6.5 date: 02/23/2019
CPU:
  Info: model: Intel Core i7-2620M bits: 64 type: MT MCP arch: Sandy Bridge
    family: 6 model-id: 0x2A (42) stepping: 7 microcode: 0x2F
  Topology: cpus: 1x cores: 2 tpc: 2 threads: 4 smt: enabled cache:
    L1: 128 KiB desc: d-2x32 KiB; i-2x32 KiB L2: 512 KiB desc: 2x256 KiB
    L3: 4 MiB desc: 1x4 MiB
  Speed (MHz): avg: 1609 high: 1866 min/max: 800/3400 scaling:
    driver: intel_cpufreq governor: performance cores: 1: 1866 2: 1451 3: 1593
    4: 1526 bogomips: 21549
  Flags: avx ht lm nx pae sse sse2 sse3 sse4_1 sse4_2 ssse3
  Vulnerabilities:
  Type: itlb_multihit status: KVM: VMX unsupported
  Type: l1tf mitigation: PTE Inversion
  Type: mds mitigation: Clear CPU buffers; SMT vulnerable
  Type: meltdown mitigation: PTI
  Type: spec_store_bypass
    mitigation: Speculative Store Bypass disabled via prctl and seccomp
  Type: spectre_v1
    mitigation: usercopy/swapgs barriers and __user pointer sanitization
  Type: spectre_v2 mitigation: Full generic retpoline, IBPB: conditional,
    IBRS_FW, STIBP: conditional, RSB filling
  Type: srbds status: Not affected
  Type: tsx_async_abort status: Not affected
Graphics:
  Device-1: NVIDIA GM107 [GeForce GTX 750] driver: nvidia v: 495.46
    alternate: nouveau,nvidia_drm bus-ID: 01:00.0 chip-ID: 10de:1381
    class-ID: 0300
  Display: x11 server: X.Org 1.21.1.2 compositor: kwin_x11 driver:
    loaded: nvidia display-ID: :0 screens: 1
  Screen-1: 0 s-res: 1360x768 s-dpi: 90 s-size: 384x300mm (15.1x11.8")
    s-diag: 487mm (19.2")
  Monitor-1: HDMI-0 res: 1360x768 hz: 60 dpi: 49
    size: 708x398mm (27.9x15.7") diag: 812mm (32")
  OpenGL: renderer: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750/PCIe/SSE2 v: 4.6.0 NVIDIA 495.46
    direct render: Yes
Audio:
  Device-1: Intel 6 Series/C200 Series Family High Definition Audio
    driver: snd_hda_intel v: kernel bus-ID: 00:1b.0 chip-ID: 8086:1c20
    class-ID: 0403
  Device-2: NVIDIA GM107 High Definition Audio [GeForce 940MX]
    driver: snd_hda_intel v: kernel bus-ID: 01:00.1 chip-ID: 10de:0fbc
    class-ID: 0403
  Sound Server-1: ALSA v: k5.10.87-1-lts running: yes
  Sound Server-2: sndio v: N/A running: no
  Sound Server-3: JACK v: 1.9.19 running: no
  Sound Server-4: PulseAudio v: 15.0 running: yes
  Sound Server-5: PipeWire v: 0.3.42 running: yes
Network:
  Device-1: Realtek RTL8111/8168/8411 PCI Express Gigabit Ethernet
    driver: r8169 v: kernel port: d000 bus-ID: 03:00.0 chip-ID: 10ec:8168
    class-ID: 0200
  IF: enp3s0 state: up speed: 1000 Mbps duplex: full mac: <filter>
Drives:
  Local Storage: total: 2.78 TiB used: 738.1 GiB (25.9%)
  SMART Message: Required tool smartctl not installed. Check --recommends
  ID-1: /dev/sda maj-min: 8:0 model: SATA SSD size: 55.9 GiB block-size:
    physical: 512 B logical: 512 B speed: 3.0 Gb/s type: SSD serial: <filter>
    rev: Sb10 scheme: GPT
  ID-2: /dev/sdb maj-min: 8:16 vendor: Seagate model: ST3000NM0053
    size: 2.73 TiB block-size: physical: 512 B logical: 512 B speed: 3.0 Gb/s
    type: HDD rpm: 7200 serial: <filter> rev: G00A scheme: GPT
Partition:
  ID-1: / raw-size: 389.6 GiB size: 389.6 GiB (100.00%)
    used: 328.62 GiB (84.3%) fs: btrfs dev: /dev/sdb4 maj-min: 8:20
  ID-2: /boot/efi raw-size: 5.59 GiB size: 5.58 GiB (99.80%)
    used: 237.8 MiB (4.2%) fs: vfat dev: /dev/sda2 maj-min: 8:2
  ID-3: /home raw-size: 389.6 GiB size: 389.6 GiB (100.00%)
    used: 328.62 GiB (84.3%) fs: btrfs dev: /dev/sdb4 maj-min: 8:20
  ID-4: /var/log raw-size: 389.6 GiB size: 389.6 GiB (100.00%)
    used: 328.62 GiB (84.3%) fs: btrfs dev: /dev/sdb4 maj-min: 8:20
  ID-5: /var/tmp raw-size: 389.6 GiB size: 389.6 GiB (100.00%)
    used: 328.62 GiB (84.3%) fs: btrfs dev: /dev/sdb4 maj-min: 8:20
Swap:
  Kernel: swappiness: 133 (default 60) cache-pressure: 100 (default)
  ID-1: swap-1 type: zram size: 3.8 GiB used: 0 KiB (0.0%) priority: 100
    dev: /dev/zram0
Sensors:
  System Temperatures: cpu: 29.8 C mobo: 27.8 C gpu: nvidia temp: 30 C
  Fan Speeds (RPM): N/A gpu: nvidia fan: 33%
Info:
  Processes: 234 Uptime: 23m wakeups: 0 Memory: 3.8 GiB
  used: 2.21 GiB (58.3%) Init: systemd v: 249 tool: systemctl Compilers:
  gcc: 11.1.0 clang: 13.0.0 Packages: pacman: 1902 lib: 530 flatpak: 0
  Shell: fish v: 3.3.1 running-in: qterminal inxi: 3.3.11

So, I've been experiencing freezes with the Zen kernel, as some people are also complaining as far as I know, and I tried LTS and... well, LTS is not only more stable, it's... faster? It boots in seconds, compared to the Zen which takes me around a minute or more.

In that sense tho, I think I need some advice because... I don't think I quite understood what I read about this. Scrubbing through the forum, I found out that:

1 > The GUI that's supposed to change the default kernel has a bit of a difficulty doing that, so it's basically borked in this sense
2 > There's a workaround by messing with the grub config file so that the last selected grub option becomes the default next time
3 > Also there's a more advanced way through the grub.conf to make the option 1/2/3/X be the default, but there's a bunch of stuff to change
4 > Some say that when you donwload a new kernel there's an option on the GUI to make it the default one
5 > But the official solution so far for noobies is just to manually select it when the grub pops up during boot.

SO, QUESTIONS:

Is the GUI "Garuda Boot Options" still having difficulties with that, or should it be working by this time of the year?

Apart from messing up with the config file (which being a noobie who will def. break the system I won't do) the best solution is then the number 5 on my list?

Or is it worth it uninstalling the LTS and then reinstalling it so I can make it be the default?

[jonathon]

@AoriOjin

LTS is not only more stable, it’s… faster?

You have a CPU that’s almost a decade old. Zen tends to target modern hardware.

[AoriOjin]

Indeed I saw people talking about it, but I like to stick with the defaults if I can : 3

[filo]

For option 3), the “procedure” I’ve always been using successfully so far is summarized here (although there might be other almost identical posts from me about this topic):

How do I change the default grub settings and splash screen?

Defining new default kernel has some known bugs with btrfs (if you search in the forum you'll find several topics about it). So, you should edit /etc/default/grub and change GRUB_DEFAULT=0 (which is the first line you see in the GRUB) to e.g. GRUB_DEFAULT=1 (second line) or whatever else, also in sub-menu you can use e.g. GRUB_DEFAULT="1>2" (third line in second line submenu). You should also comment out GRUB_SAVEDEFAULT, e.g. #GRUB_SAVEDEFAULT=true Pay attention, sometimes some parameters (…

[tbg]

I think you are suffering from a few misconceptions.

@AoriOjin

so it’s basically borked in this sense

Firstly, the Garuda software is not broken with repect to loading the kernels. This has nothing to do with Garuda, it is a current limitation/bug with grub/btrfs and is not a result of Garuda software being broken.

@AoriOjin

Is the GUI “Garuda Boot Options” still having difficulties with that, or should it be working by this time of the year?

I wouldn’t hold my breath for a fix regarding the order kernels are booted as this aspect is completely out of Garuda’s hands and has nothing to do with Garuda.

@AoriOjin

Apart from messing up with the config file (which being a noobie who will def. break the system I won’t do) the best solution is then the number 5 on my list?

If you don’t want to edit the grub configuration file, then you’re stuck with the current order the kernels are booted. Sooner or later you’re going to have to learn how to edit root configuration files, so if the boot order is a big deal to you, then you might as well just learn to do it.

Lastly, if that’s just too scary for you then simply remove the Zen kernel if it’s not a good option for you’re older computer. Only leave the LTS kernel installed and then you’ve sidestepped the issue completely.

[RodneyCK]

@AoriOjin

Or is it worth it uninstalling the LTS and then reinstalling it so I can make it be the default?

I would say everything you said, besides the remark that it is Garuda’s fault and the following line above is true.

You can’t uninstall LTS and then reinstall it and it will appear at the top, or more direct, the one being selected during boot. It is borked in that sense, “it,” being btrfs and grub selection.

[AoriOjin]

Firstly, I'm sorry, perharps "borked" was a word too strong, but I'm no english expert and tbh I borrowed the term from another context xD
I didn't mean to blame the GBO, but as I said, it is a difficulty, an impossibility; I've indeed read other staff members saying that grub and btrfs were having this kind of "incompatibility" in other posts as well.
Still, sad to see the issue yet unadressed, but I understand that might not be an easy task for both btrfs and grub projects.

But I suppose then I'll just stick to selecting it manually when booting, it's boring but not at all a big deal. Zen have been an awesome experience apart from last month and I hope to hop back to it sooner than later (and yes hopefully with new hardware xD)

Thank you all so much for the replys!

[RodneyCK]

My desktop is my gamer rig so I want the more advanced kernels, btrfs, and everything. However for my laptop, I do a frankenstein and use ext4 and Garuda repos, more directly chautic-aur repos which house all the Garuda goodies. That is my workaround, because selecting kernels and the last kernel used works on ext4.

You can either select ext4 during the manual drive setup in Garuda, or use EnOS or RebornOS and add the chaotic-aur repos, those both have the option to setup ext4 automatically during install. Just note, Garuda does not and will not support this kind of setup, so you are on your own for help.

@jonathon also pointed out during a manual drive setup during install, you can also create a /boot and make it ext4 and the rest btrfs, that way selection of grub order is possible. Throwing some food salad for thought on the table.