Shipped Kernels

For the x86_64 platform, the current Oracle Linux 9 release ships with the following kernel packages:

• kernel-uek-6.12.0-105.51.5 (Unbreakable Enterprise Kernel 8 Update 1 (UEK 8U1)) (Default)

• kernel-5.14.0-611.5.1 (Red Hat Compatible Kernel (RHCK))

For new installations, UEK 8 is automatically enabled and installed. It also becomes the default kernel on first boot.

In the case of updates, switching to UEK R8 isn't automatic. If you're upgrading from any prior update release of Oracle Linux 9 that has UEK R7 as default, the system continues to run with the kernel that's already installed. See UEK R8 Default Kernel Handling for more information.

For the aarch64 platform, Oracle Linux ships with the UEK kernel only.

The Oracle Linux release is tested as a bundle, as shipped on the installation media image. When installed from the installation media image, the kernel's version included in the image is the minimum version that's supported. Downgrading kernel packages isn't supported, unless recommended by Oracle Support.