How to Remove Old Kernels on CentOS/RHEL 6/7
When you install new Kernel, the old Kernels will not remove because It can help you to boot server with old kernel if you do any mistake while installing the new Kernel. Also, the old kernel consumes some spaces which can be useful for something else. So In this article, we will provide you multiple methods to remove the old Kernel from your CentOS/RHEL server.
See Also:
Verify Kernel
In order to avoid any mistake first check the version of Kernel running on your system.
# uname -sr
Linux 3.10.0-957.5.1.el7.x86_64
List of Kernel
To list all installed kernels on your system, issue this command.
# kernel -q kernel
kernel-3.10.0-957.el7.x86_64
kernel-3.10.0-957.5.1.el7.x86_64
kernel-3.10.0-957.1.3.el7.x86_64
Remove Old Kernels RHEL
Method 1:
Run the commands below to remove a old Kernel along with its configuration files, then use update-grub2 command to update grub2 configuration.
# yum remove kernel-3.10.0-957.el7.x86_64
[root@srv ~]# yum remove kernel-3.10.0-957.el7.x86_64
Loaded plugins: fastestmirror
Resolving Dependencies
--> Running transaction check
---> Package kernel.x86_64 0:3.10.0-957.el7 will be erased
--> Finished Dependency Resolution
Dependencies Resolved
========================================================================================================================================================
Package Arch Version Repository Size
Removing:
kernel x86_64 3.10.0-957.el7 @anaconda 63 M
Transaction Summary
Remove 1 Package
Installed size: 63 M
Is this ok [y/N]:
Method 2:
You can also remove the old kernel using package-cleanup command which is a part of yum-utils package.
# yum install yum-utils # package-cleanup --oldkernels --count=2
[root@srv ~]# package-cleanup --oldkernels --count=2
Loaded plugins: fastestmirror
--> Running transaction check
---> Package kernel.x86_64 0:3.10.0-957.el7 will be erased
--> Finished Dependency Resolution
Dependencies Resolved
========================================================================================================================================================
Package Arch Version Repository Size
Removing:
kernel x86_64 3.10.0-957.el7 @anaconda 63 M
Transaction Summary
Remove 1 Package
Installed size: 63 M
Is this ok [y/N]:
Note: After running the above command, it will remove all old/unused kernels and keep latest 2 Kernels.
Method 3:
By default CentOS/RHEL will keep last 5 kernels on your system. installonly_limit parameter is define in yum configuration file. So if you can change the default value of installonly_limit to 2 then it will keep latest 2 kernel on your system and remove the remaining Kernels.
# vim /etc/yum.conf
[main]
cachedir=/var/cache/yum/$basearch/$releasever
keepcache=0
debuglevel=2
logfile=/var/log/yum.log
exactarch=1
obsoletes=1
gpgcheck=1
plugins=1
installonly_limit=2
bugtracker_url=http://bugs.centos.org/set_project.php?project_id=23&ref=http://bugs.centos.org/bug_report_page.php?category=yum
distroverpkg=centos-release
Read More: More about Kernel
Enjoy it!
