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Correct way to delete old kernels and kernel related files?

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jasu
n00b
n00b

Joined: 23 May 2022
Posts: 61

Posted: Tue Nov 29, 2022 3:09 pm Post subject: Correct way to delete old kernels and kernel related files?

Hi,

I've read https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/Kernel/Removal article but I didn't fully grasp how to get rid of all old kernel's and files related to them.

Code:

eclean-kernel
No outdated kernels found.

Though

Code:

eclean-kernel -l
5.15.75-gentoo-x86_64 [5.15.75-gentoo-x86_64]
- systemmap: /boot/System.map-5.15.75-gentoo-x86_64
- initramfs: /boot/initramfs-5.15.75-gentoo-x86_64.img
- vmlinuz: /boot/vmlinuz-5.15.75-gentoo-x86_64
- modules: /lib/modules/5.15.75-gentoo-x86_64
- build: /usr/src/linux-5.15.75-gentoo
- last modified: 2022-11-29 13:56:20
5.15.75-gentoo-x86_64.old [5.15.75-gentoo-x86_64]
- systemmap: /boot/System.map-5.15.75-gentoo-x86_64.old
- initramfs: /boot/initramfs-5.15.75-gentoo-x86_64.img.old
- vmlinuz: /boot/vmlinuz-5.15.75-gentoo-x86_64.old
- modules: /lib/modules/5.15.75-gentoo-x86_64
- build: /usr/src/linux-5.15.75-gentoo
- last modified: 2022-11-29 12:15:02
5.15.48-gentoo-dist [5.15.48-gentoo-dist]
- systemmap: /boot/System.map-5.15.48-gentoo-dist
- config: /boot/config-5.15.48-gentoo-dist
- initramfs: /boot/initramfs-5.15.48-gentoo-dist.img
- vmlinuz: /boot/vmlinuz-5.15.48-gentoo-dist
- modules: /lib/modules/5.15.48-gentoo-dist
- last modified: 2022-06-19 11:55:17
5.15.46-gentoo-dist [5.15.46-gentoo-dist]
- systemmap: /boot/System.map-5.15.46-gentoo-dist
- config: /boot/config-5.15.46-gentoo-dist
- initramfs: /boot/initramfs-5.15.46-gentoo-dist.img
- vmlinuz: /boot/vmlinuz-5.15.46-gentoo-dist
- modules: /lib/modules/5.15.46-gentoo-dist
- last modified: 2022-06-17 00:35:06
5.15.41-gentoo-x86_64 [5.15.41-gentoo-x86_64]
- systemmap: /boot/System.map-5.15.41-gentoo-x86_64
- initramfs: /boot/initramfs-5.15.41-gentoo-x86_64.img
- vmlinuz: /boot/vmlinuz-5.15.41-gentoo-x86_64
- modules: /lib/modules/5.15.41-gentoo-x86_64
- build: /usr/src/linux-5.15.41-gentoo
- last modified: 2022-05-23 17:50:20
5.15.41-gentoo-x86_64.old [5.15.41-gentoo-x86_64]
- systemmap: /boot/System.map-5.15.41-gentoo-x86_64.old
- initramfs: /boot/initramfs-5.15.41-gentoo-x86_64.img.old
- vmlinuz: /boot/vmlinuz-5.15.41-gentoo-x86_64.old
- modules: /lib/modules/5.15.41-gentoo-x86_64
- build: /usr/src/linux-5.15.41-gentoo
- last modified: 2022-05-23 16:22:16
5.15.41-gentoo-dist [5.15.41-gentoo-dist]
- systemmap: /boot/System.map-5.15.41-gentoo-dist
- config: /boot/config-5.15.41-gentoo-dist
- initramfs: /boot/initramfs-5.15.41-gentoo-dist.img
- vmlinuz: /boot/vmlinuz-5.15.41-gentoo-dist
- modules: /lib/modules/5.15.41-gentoo-dist
- last modified: 2022-05-22 23:42:11

So I suppose that grub is somehow signaling that they are still needed?
My /boot is getting awfully crowded so I need to get rid of those files.

Code:

ls /boot
total 214M
-rwxr-xr-x 1 root root 230K May 23 2022 config-5.15.41-gentoo-dist*
-rwxr-xr-x 1 root root 230K Jun 17 04:35 config-5.15.46-gentoo-dist*
-rwxr-xr-x 1 root root 230K Jun 19 15:56 config-5.15.48-gentoo-dist*
drwxr-xr-x 3 root root 512 May 20 2022 EFI/
drwxr-xr-x 6 root root 1.0K Nov 29 16:55 grub/
-rwxr-xr-x 1 root root 32M May 23 2022 initramfs-5.15.41-gentoo-dist.img*
-rwxr-xr-x 1 root root 12M May 23 2022 initramfs-5.15.41-gentoo-x86_64.img*
-rwxr-xr-x 1 root root 11M May 23 2022 initramfs-5.15.41-gentoo-x86_64.img.old*
-rwxr-xr-x 1 root root 32M Jun 17 04:35 initramfs-5.15.46-gentoo-dist.img*
-rwxr-xr-x 1 root root 2.1M Jun 19 15:56 initramfs-5.15.48-gentoo-dist.img*
-rwxr-xr-x 1 root root 12M Nov 29 16:54 initramfs-5.15.75-gentoo-x86_64.img*
-rwxr-xr-x 1 root root 12M Nov 29 16:52 initramfs-5.15.75-gentoo-x86_64.img.old*
-rwxr-xr-x 1 root root 5.6M May 23 2022 System.map-5.15.41-gentoo-dist*
-rwxr-xr-x 1 root root 4.8M May 23 2022 System.map-5.15.41-gentoo-x86_64*
-rwxr-xr-x 1 root root 4.8M May 23 2022 System.map-5.15.41-gentoo-x86_64.old*
-rwxr-xr-x 1 root root 5.6M Jun 17 04:35 System.map-5.15.46-gentoo-dist*
-rwxr-xr-x 1 root root 5.6M Jun 19 15:56 System.map-5.15.48-gentoo-dist*
-rwxr-xr-x 1 root root 4.9M Nov 29 15:56 System.map-5.15.75-gentoo-x86_64*
-rwxr-xr-x 1 root root 4.8M Nov 29 14:15 System.map-5.15.75-gentoo-x86_64.old*
-rwxr-xr-x 1 root root 11M May 23 2022 vmlinuz-5.15.41-gentoo-dist*
-rwxr-xr-x 1 root root 9.2M Jul 6 22:36 vmlinuz-5.15.41-gentoo-x86_64*
-rwxr-xr-x 1 root root 9.2M May 23 2022 vmlinuz-5.15.41-gentoo-x86_64.old*
-rwxr-xr-x 1 root root 11M Jun 17 04:35 vmlinuz-5.15.46-gentoo-dist*
-rwxr-xr-x 1 root root 11M Jun 19 15:56 vmlinuz-5.15.48-gentoo-dist*
-rwxr-xr-x 1 root root 9.6M Nov 29 15:56 vmlinuz-5.15.75-gentoo-x86_64*
-rwxr-xr-x 1 root root 9.6M Nov 29 14:15 vmlinuz-5.15.75-gentoo-x86_64.old*

What is the correct way to delete unused kernel files?

EDIT: Oh, it seems that I can just delete those manually. My bad.

kite14
Apprentice

Joined: 07 Nov 2006
Posts: 216
Location: Italy

Posted: Tue Nov 29, 2022 4:18 pm Post subject:

You can also use:

Code:

eclean-kernel -n

to prune all kernel files referenced by bootloader (or present in /boot directory) except the newest one.
See

Code:

eclean-kernel --help

pietinger
Moderator

Joined: 17 Oct 2006
Posts: 5348
Location: Bavaria

Posted: Tue Nov 29, 2022 6:38 pm Post subject:

AFAIK eclean-kernel will not delete user files from /usr/src/linux-x.y.z You have to delete them by yourself (rm -rf /usr/src/....) The same is true for kernels (and related files) in /boot/ Also have a look into /lib/modules ...

DavidF
n00b
n00b

Joined: 12 Jan 2004
Posts: 45
Location: Rocky Mountains

Posted: Tue Nov 29, 2022 7:21 pm Post subject:

Quote:

AFAIK eclean-kernel will not delete user files from /usr/src/linux-x.y.z You have to delete them by yourself (rm -rf /usr/src/....)

The same is true for kernels (and related files) in /boot/

That's interesting, I have been using depclean, eclean-kernel -n 3 and it removes files from /boot and /usr/src/ and /lib/modules . Is that because I am using genkernel to compile the kernel?[/quote]

logrusx
Advocate

Joined: 22 Feb 2018
Posts: 2657

Posted: Tue Nov 29, 2022 7:27 pm Post subject:

DavidF wrote:

Quote:

AFAIK eclean-kernel will not delete user files from /usr/src/linux-x.y.z You have to delete them by yourself (rm -rf /usr/src/....)

The same is true for kernels (and related files) in /boot/

That's interesting, I have been using depclean, eclean-kernel -n 3 and it removes files from /boot and /usr/src/ and /lib/modules . Is that because I am using genkernel to compile the kernel?

Possibly. If genkernel tells the build scripts to use another output directory, the directories under /usr/src would not contain user files.

But I don't know if that's the case, I don't use genkernel.

Regards,
Georgi

kite14
Apprentice

Joined: 07 Nov 2006
Posts: 216
Location: Italy

Posted: Wed Nov 30, 2022 8:18 pm Post subject:

pietinger wrote:

AFAIK eclean-kernel will not delete user files from /usr/src/linux-x.y.z You have to delete them by yourself (rm -rf /usr/src/....)

The same is true for kernels (and related files) in /boot/

Also have a look into /lib/modules ... ;-)

I usually clean old kernels manually (all the stuff in /boot, /usr/src/, /lib/modules/) but looks like eclean-kernels -n can do the same job, except for the kernel sources, unless you clean it up before with

Code:

make mrproper

Here an example of a dry run on my system:

Code:

$ eclean-kernel -p -n 1
Legend:
[-] file being removed
[+] file being kept (used by other kernels)

These are the kernels which would be removed:
- 5.15.75-gentoo.old: not referenced by bootloader (symlinks)
[-] /boot/vmlinuz-5.15.75-gentoo.old
[+] /usr/src/linux-5.15.75-gentoo
[+] /lib/modules/5.15.75-gentoo
[-] /boot/System.map-5.15.75-gentoo.old
[-] /boot/config-5.15.75-gentoo.old
- 5.15.74-gentoo: not referenced by bootloader (symlinks)
[-] /boot/vmlinuz-5.15.74-gentoo
[-] /lib/modules/5.15.74-gentoo
[-] /boot/System.map-5.15.74-gentoo
[-] /boot/config-5.15.74-gentoo

freke
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 23 Jan 2003
Posts: 1048
Location: Somewhere in Denmark

Posted: Sun Dec 11, 2022 5:37 pm Post subject:

DavidF wrote:

Quote:

AFAIK eclean-kernel will not delete user files from /usr/src/linux-x.y.z You have to delete them by yourself (rm -rf /usr/src/....)

The same is true for kernels (and related files) in /boot/

That's interesting, I have been using depclean, eclean-kernel -n 3 and it removes files from /boot and /usr/src/ and /lib/modules . Is that because I am using genkernel to compile the kernel?

It's not because of genkernel - it's because of the

Code:

-n 3

- without -n (or -d) all kernels referenced by grub is left untouched.

With ie. -n 3 the three newest kernels (+ the running kernel if not one of the three newest) is left - all others are pruned.

logrusx
Advocate

Joined: 22 Feb 2018
Posts: 2657

Posted: Mon Dec 12, 2022 12:31 pm Post subject:

kite14 wrote:

pietinger wrote:

Code:

make mrproper

Here an example of a dry run on my system:

Code:

That works because you're not changing CONFIG_LOCALVERSION. I use it for testing the new kernel and if it works well I change it once again to mark it known good and make sure that even if I test something else on the same global kernel version, the files will go in other directories with other names and won't affect my currently known good kernel. Thus, *I think* eclean-kernel would not clean versions not currently referenced by your local version.

This should either be tested or someone who knows should tell us. I currently have no other versions to confirm my speculation.

Regards,
Georgi

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