How to update kernel to 5.18 to get intel thread director

I've been a happy (K)Ubuntu LTS user for a while now. I've recently upgraded to kubuntu 22.04 at work (still waiting on my home devices). I did this in part because I was recently given a new workstation with an Intel 12700K processor. I was expecting this processor to have 20 threads, since the p-cores should have SMT-2, and the e-cores would be single threaded, but all the cores are running single threaded. Also, it's not totally obvious that my OS even knows they're different types of cores.

I googled around, and found that kernel features that (on the face of it) address these issues are coming in 5.18...which might get put into a non-LTS version bump some time in the distant future, but is apparently not coming to 22.04, or HWE updates later in life. It looks like this will come out in a handful of days, but if I wait I may have a different workstation by the time it winds up in an LTS/HWE release.

So how bad of an idea is it to upgrade my kernel? How would I go about doing that, while doing the least amount of damage to my shiny new 22.04 install?

Thanks for the advice.

1 Answer

You can download Debian/Ubuntu Kernel packages from this URL:

Make sure to download install the needed module and header packages, too.

Usually you can select a kernel you want to boot on startup in Grub. Going back to a standard kernel should be easily possible.

But I don't know all details about you system and I will not give any guarantee. So make sure you have a recent backup of your valuable data and some time to recover in case something went wrong !!

This is not a real Debian repo. You have to install the packages manually. For Debian admins, this is some kind of basic knowledge needed for their work. I guess there is no step by step docu.

AGAIN: if you are not that experienced that you do not really know how to do it, make sure you have a backup and a plan B in case of failures. These kernels are untested and could destroy your system in worst case. Better start learning how to use dpkg (man dpkg).

Install:

1. Download at least the linux-image-unsigned... and linux-modules...
2. Install linux-modules: dpkg -i linux-modules...
3. Install linux-image-unsigned: dpkg -i linux-image-unsigned...
4. (optional) install the headers: dpkg -i linux-headers... linux-headers...generic...

Of course, you have to fill the dots with what you downloaded. And you have to reboot to activate the kernel.