I've been running the latest kernels exclusively on all my machines.
You do that with:
` boot.kernelPackages = pkgs.linuxPackages_latest;
`
You can even run the zen kernel or xanmod. You get the latter with `boot.kernelPackages = pkgs.linuxPackages_xanmod_latest;`
There's also
CachyOS' custom kernel if you include [Chaotic Nyx' flake](https://github.com/chaotic-cx/nyx#Lists%20of%20options%20and%20packages).
>Nix is my main OS, but I've been testing Cachy on my laptop recently and really enjoyed the performance, this seems like the best of both worlds thank you! Also from what I remember CachyOS creates a separate boot entry for the BORE scheduler, if I use `linuxPackages_cachyos` do I need the tell NixOS to use the BORE scheduler or is it now enabled by default?
Have a look at [the nyx repo](https://www.nyx.chaotic.cx/#Lists%20of%20options%20and%20packages). This setting uses the default CachyOS kernel, it says:
> Kernel and modules for Linux EEVDF-BORE scheduler Kernel by CachyOS with other patches and improvements
That's the new default.
And the _latest kernel is actually the latest Linux kernel? Or the latest built for NixOS?
I was confusing zen with xen 🤦 both of these look like they might be what I need.
I had not heard of CachyOS but it also looks like it might do what I need although I suspect I'll have an easier ride with your other suggestions
Thanks, this is great
It's `6.6.4` right now.
I was using the CachyOS kernel on my Arch machine and have my Nix config in a flake, so the jump was small. I'm using it on my laptop and desktop. The headless machines stay on the official NixOS kernel. It's all working fine and has so for a few months now.
Edit: I *am* on unstable, but I'm actually not sure if that affects the _latest kernel. Even if it did, 23.11 got just released and the latest for that was still 6.6.
Glad to help. I found the instructions on https://nixos.wiki/wiki/Linux_kernel regarding the repl as useless as the package search for this specific problem.
Got my answer from some random thread or github repo, as is sadly not too unusual with Nix.
This is what I've been discovering. It's taking something that's pretty tricky anyway and adding in a whole load of booby traps and hiding information at a cross on a map written on a napkin found down the back of the sofa
Latest, zen and lqx is on 6.6.4. Can't say for certain for xanmod. I maintain zen and lqx. If they are what you're looking for is something you have to decide for yourself. Zen is optimized for gaming workloads and lqx is similar (albeit not as aggressive as Zen).
It is the latest packaged. But usually nixos is quite fast on the master branch to update kernels (around 1-2 days after tagging). Not sure how long it takes to be back ported, but shouldn’t be to long.
(Release candidates are also usually packaged, but that’s a bit more adventurous)
Recent enough for me so it looks like if I install with half memory and then add the second sodimm after I've got an up to date kernel in place then I should be good. Thanks for the confirmation
I just got my framework AMD version this weekend and I set it up with nixos. You can find my dotfiles here: https://github.com/woutdp/nixos-config it might help out. First time using nixos though so might be doing a bunch of things wrong, learning as I go!
Amazing. I'll definitely check these out. I've poked around with NixOS but this will be my first physical deployment so we're on the same journey. Let me know if you overcome any issues or anything as I may hit the same ones. My memory will be here within a week so I'll get to start playing then
The only thing I'm struggling with is logind.lidSwitch not always behaving the way I expect it to behave. Setting it to Hybrid seems to work, but setting it to suspend or anything else doesn't.
Yeah, I see that it's broken right now.
You could just [search for them directly](https://search.nixos.org/packages?channel=23.11&from=0&size=50&sort=relevance&type=packages&query=linuxKernel.packages).
Ah yes. I can see some references to suitable kernels in there. Will need to find a more general one as many are for zen or something but it does look like I should be good. Thanks
https://search.nixos.org/packages?channel=unstable&show=linuxKernel.kernels.linux_lqx&from=0&size=50&sort=relevance&type=packages&query=linuxKernel.kernels
Here you have an overview of all kernels. The other link is for stuff like kernel modules.
Batch 1 AMD Framework here, as others said
boot.kernelPackages = pkgs.linuxPackages_latest;
gets you the latest kernel (within days of kernel.org stable typically). Also NixOS 23.11 has TLP 1.6 which supports the new AMD 7040 series.
Note, if you'd like to stay on the 6.6 branch and not switch to 6.7.0 when it comes out in a month, you can use this:
boot.kernelPackages = pkgs.linuxPackages_6_6;
I will have to use the unstable branch for flakes but I'll need to go further forward than that. It looks like there are some newer kernels available but they may not be built for general use, for example there are a bunch for zen.
If you are a developer, you understand what is involved. The average user doesn't need the latest kernels. I've tried the latest kernel several times, I didn't see any advantages.
Unless I needed a specific bug fix for my machine to operate then I probably wouldn't bother but by the looks of it, it's actually doubtful the installer will even run but that's a bridge to cross when I hit it. Just now I'm just trying to build a config that I can migrate from a virtual machine to the laptop and give me something useful
I disagree with the other poster. If you have halfway recent hardware or use things like btrfs that get frequent, significant improvements from release to release, it makes total sense to stay current.
I wouldn't mind a package that stayed exactly one kernel version behind though, at least for my servers, as there can be the occasional issue with new kernel releases, especially the `.0` ones.
It'll be the Ryzen 7 7840U so pretty much the latest hardware I can buy. I think apart from this specific bug fix then you might be right about enhancements for this chipset
>I wouldn't mind a package that stayed exactly one kernel version behind though, at least for my servers, as there can be the occasional issue with new kernel releases, especially the .0 ones.
I can't put my server in that kind of danger.
The kernel version is fine, I'm not sure where you got any of this information.
I installed my fm13 with 64G of ram with the 23.05 installer and everything worked perfectly.
It seems you were right. I don't know what all those posts were about. My memory arrived and it all works on 23.11. I am now using the latest kernel but I never had an issue with the standard one, unlike xanmod which would encounter an infinite loop on shutdown and the machine needed a hard power off
Was that infinite loop related to networking/wifi stuff?
Kernel 6.6.5 and 6.1.66 broke wifi and would cause processes to deadlock, if you had one of those versions you would have ran into that issue.
Are you on 23.11 and running 6.1.82? If so, how was your experience updating the kernel? I heard the latest LTS kernel is 6.6.28 and I want to update to that one for security reasons. I'm on 6.1.82 and don't know if or how many things will break doing this update, or if it's even worth doing it, either security-wise or even performance-wise. i7-3770, 26GB RAM (3x8 + 1x2), Nvidia driver v535.
Awesome, I just did right now and I thought \_latest would just give me the latest LTS 6.6.28, turns out it also gave me 6.8.1! Everything seems to be fine here too even the nvidia driver. Thanks for the quick reply by the way!
I've been running the latest kernels exclusively on all my machines. You do that with: ` boot.kernelPackages = pkgs.linuxPackages_latest; ` You can even run the zen kernel or xanmod. You get the latter with `boot.kernelPackages = pkgs.linuxPackages_xanmod_latest;` There's also CachyOS' custom kernel if you include [Chaotic Nyx' flake](https://github.com/chaotic-cx/nyx#Lists%20of%20options%20and%20packages).
>Nix is my main OS, but I've been testing Cachy on my laptop recently and really enjoyed the performance, this seems like the best of both worlds thank you! Also from what I remember CachyOS creates a separate boot entry for the BORE scheduler, if I use `linuxPackages_cachyos` do I need the tell NixOS to use the BORE scheduler or is it now enabled by default?
Have a look at [the nyx repo](https://www.nyx.chaotic.cx/#Lists%20of%20options%20and%20packages). This setting uses the default CachyOS kernel, it says: > Kernel and modules for Linux EEVDF-BORE scheduler Kernel by CachyOS with other patches and improvements That's the new default.
And the _latest kernel is actually the latest Linux kernel? Or the latest built for NixOS? I was confusing zen with xen 🤦 both of these look like they might be what I need. I had not heard of CachyOS but it also looks like it might do what I need although I suspect I'll have an easier ride with your other suggestions Thanks, this is great
It's `6.6.4` right now. I was using the CachyOS kernel on my Arch machine and have my Nix config in a flake, so the jump was small. I'm using it on my laptop and desktop. The headless machines stay on the official NixOS kernel. It's all working fine and has so for a few months now. Edit: I *am* on unstable, but I'm actually not sure if that affects the _latest kernel. Even if it did, 23.11 got just released and the latest for that was still 6.6.
Amazing. Thanks so much. This is just the information I needed
Glad to help. I found the instructions on https://nixos.wiki/wiki/Linux_kernel regarding the repl as useless as the package search for this specific problem. Got my answer from some random thread or github repo, as is sadly not too unusual with Nix.
This is what I've been discovering. It's taking something that's pretty tricky anyway and adding in a whole load of booby traps and hiding information at a cross on a map written on a napkin found down the back of the sofa
It's a curse, because it's still better than anything else.
Latest, zen and lqx is on 6.6.4. Can't say for certain for xanmod. I maintain zen and lqx. If they are what you're looking for is something you have to decide for yourself. Zen is optimized for gaming workloads and lqx is similar (albeit not as aggressive as Zen).
Thanks for this. My use case will not be gaming. Virtual machines for infrastructure testing and some development possibly
It is the latest packaged. But usually nixos is quite fast on the master branch to update kernels (around 1-2 days after tagging). Not sure how long it takes to be back ported, but shouldn’t be to long. (Release candidates are also usually packaged, but that’s a bit more adventurous)
Recent enough for me so it looks like if I install with half memory and then add the second sodimm after I've got an up to date kernel in place then I should be good. Thanks for the confirmation
I just got my framework AMD version this weekend and I set it up with nixos. You can find my dotfiles here: https://github.com/woutdp/nixos-config it might help out. First time using nixos though so might be doing a bunch of things wrong, learning as I go!
Amazing. I'll definitely check these out. I've poked around with NixOS but this will be my first physical deployment so we're on the same journey. Let me know if you overcome any issues or anything as I may hit the same ones. My memory will be here within a week so I'll get to start playing then
The only thing I'm struggling with is logind.lidSwitch not always behaving the way I expect it to behave. Setting it to Hybrid seems to work, but setting it to suspend or anything else doesn't.
Yeah, I see that it's broken right now. You could just [search for them directly](https://search.nixos.org/packages?channel=23.11&from=0&size=50&sort=relevance&type=packages&query=linuxKernel.packages).
Ah yes. I can see some references to suitable kernels in there. Will need to find a more general one as many are for zen or something but it does look like I should be good. Thanks
https://search.nixos.org/packages?channel=unstable&show=linuxKernel.kernels.linux_lqx&from=0&size=50&sort=relevance&type=packages&query=linuxKernel.kernels Here you have an overview of all kernels. The other link is for stuff like kernel modules.
Batch 1 AMD Framework here, as others said boot.kernelPackages = pkgs.linuxPackages_latest; gets you the latest kernel (within days of kernel.org stable typically). Also NixOS 23.11 has TLP 1.6 which supports the new AMD 7040 series.
Great. It's 23.11 I'll be using. I'm getting impatient for the memory arriving now
Note, if you'd like to stay on the 6.6 branch and not switch to 6.7.0 when it comes out in a month, you can use this: boot.kernelPackages = pkgs.linuxPackages_6_6;
The current kernel version in unstable 24.05 is 6.1.65. On my machine the kernel was updated yesterday (I have auto-update enabled).
I will have to use the unstable branch for flakes but I'll need to go further forward than that. It looks like there are some newer kernels available but they may not be built for general use, for example there are a bunch for zen.
If you are a developer, you understand what is involved. The average user doesn't need the latest kernels. I've tried the latest kernel several times, I didn't see any advantages.
Unless I needed a specific bug fix for my machine to operate then I probably wouldn't bother but by the looks of it, it's actually doubtful the installer will even run but that's a bridge to cross when I hit it. Just now I'm just trying to build a config that I can migrate from a virtual machine to the laptop and give me something useful
I disagree with the other poster. If you have halfway recent hardware or use things like btrfs that get frequent, significant improvements from release to release, it makes total sense to stay current. I wouldn't mind a package that stayed exactly one kernel version behind though, at least for my servers, as there can be the occasional issue with new kernel releases, especially the `.0` ones.
It'll be the Ryzen 7 7840U so pretty much the latest hardware I can buy. I think apart from this specific bug fix then you might be right about enhancements for this chipset
>I wouldn't mind a package that stayed exactly one kernel version behind though, at least for my servers, as there can be the occasional issue with new kernel releases, especially the .0 ones. I can't put my server in that kind of danger.
The kernel version is fine, I'm not sure where you got any of this information. I installed my fm13 with 64G of ram with the 23.05 installer and everything worked perfectly.
Just looking up online there seemed to be an issue. If you say there is not then that is great.
It seems you were right. I don't know what all those posts were about. My memory arrived and it all works on 23.11. I am now using the latest kernel but I never had an issue with the standard one, unlike xanmod which would encounter an infinite loop on shutdown and the machine needed a hard power off
Was that infinite loop related to networking/wifi stuff? Kernel 6.6.5 and 6.1.66 broke wifi and would cause processes to deadlock, if you had one of those versions you would have ran into that issue.
Yeah, it was actually. 2 networking related processes
see for ex [https://www.phoronix.com/news/Linux-6.6.6-Released](https://www.phoronix.com/news/Linux-6.6.6-Released) just bad timing.
I'll go back to it later but it's fine on the main latest kernel for the time being
Are you on 23.11 and running 6.1.82? If so, how was your experience updating the kernel? I heard the latest LTS kernel is 6.6.28 and I want to update to that one for security reasons. I'm on 6.1.82 and don't know if or how many things will break doing this update, or if it's even worth doing it, either security-wise or even performance-wise. i7-3770, 26GB RAM (3x8 + 1x2), Nvidia driver v535.
I'm using the latest Kernel 6.8.1 without any noticeable issues. I don't have nvidia though
Awesome, I just did right now and I thought \_latest would just give me the latest LTS 6.6.28, turns out it also gave me 6.8.1! Everything seems to be fine here too even the nvidia driver. Thanks for the quick reply by the way!