Hi,

every time there is a kernel update, I need to install the coresponding linux-headers. Is there a way they can be installed automatically?

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.14
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

On 5/24/26 4:34 AM, Alexis Grigoriou wrote:

Hi,

every time there is a kernel update, I need to install the coresponding linux-headers. Is there a way they can be installed automatically?

Hello Alexis,

The linux-headers-amd64 package exists for this exact purpose.
(presumably other architectures have an equivalent).

I found this package by using the aptitude TUI, which allows you
to inspect packages (for instance, linux-headers-7.1-amd64),
and visually inspect what packages depend on it. In this case,
that linux-headers-amd64 package.


Best,
Antonio

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.14
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

On 2026-05-24 at 08:23, Antonio Russo wrote:

On 5/24/26 4:34 AM, Alexis Grigoriou wrote:

Hi,

every time there is a kernel update, I need to install the
coresponding linux-headers. Is there a way they can be installed
automatically?

Hello Alexis,

The linux-headers-amd64 package exists for this exact purpose.
(presumably other architectures have an equivalent).

That will handle the "corresponding" part, but not AFAIK the
"automatically" part - which I parse as meaning "when I install a new
(version of) linux-image-*, linux-headers-* should get installed along
with it, without me needing to do anything extra at install time to make
that happen".
I have yet to manage to think of a way to *ensure* that automation in
all circumstances, for all methods of initiating upgrade.
It just doesn't wind up mattering for me very often in practice, since I primarily run package upgrades by either
# apt-get dist-upgrade
or
# apt-get install $(apt-mark showmanual | grep "^PATTERN")
where PATTERN can be a number of things depending on which
installed-package subset I want to upgrade, but in this case would be
"linux".
--
The Wanderer
The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one
persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all
progress depends on the unreasonable man. -- George Bernard Shaw


--- PyGate Linux v1.5.14
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

??, 24 ??? 2026??. ? 16:19, Alex
is Grigoriou <alexis@nanoid.net>:

every time there is a kernel update, I need to install the coresponding linux-headers. Is there a way they can be installed automatically?

Install linux-image-amd64 and linux-headers-amd64 packages.
Its depends at latest available kernel and headers with same version
in stable and upgrade simultaneously

--
Stanislav

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.14
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

On Sun, May 24, 2026 at 09:08:58 -0400, The Wanderer wrote:

On 2026-05-24 at 08:23, Antonio Russo wrote:

The linux-headers-amd64 package exists for this exact purpose.
(presumably other architectures have an equivalent).

That will handle the "corresponding" part, but not AFAIK the
"automatically" part - which I parse as meaning "when I install a new (version of) linux-image-*, linux-headers-* should get installed along
with it, without me needing to do anything extra at install time to make
that happen".

I have yet to manage to think of a way to *ensure* that automation in
all circumstances, for all methods of initiating upgrade.

If you need DKMS modules, you have two paths from which to choose.
The first path, which most people choose, involves adding a
trixie-security source to apt, and installing both "linux-image-amd64"
and "linux-headers-amd64". Whenever there's a kernel security update,
you will automatically get both the image and headers for that update.

In the second path, you're installing kernels from some other source,
known only to you, and it's up to you to obtain the matching headers
as well.

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.14
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

On 2026-05-24 at 09:35, Greg Wooledge wrote:

On Sun, May 24, 2026 at 09:08:58 -0400, The Wanderer wrote:

On 2026-05-24 at 08:23, Antonio Russo wrote:

The linux-headers-amd64 package exists for this exact purpose.
(presumably other architectures have an equivalent).

That will handle the "corresponding" part, but not AFAIK the
"automatically" part - which I parse as meaning "when I install a
new (version of) linux-image-*, linux-headers-* should get
installed along with it, without me needing to do anything extra at
install time to make that happen".

I have yet to manage to think of a way to *ensure* that automation
in all circumstances, for all methods of initiating upgrade.

If you need DKMS modules, you have two paths from which to choose.
The first path, which most people choose, involves adding a
trixie-security source to apt, and installing both
"linux-image-amd64" and "linux-headers-amd64". Whenever there's a
kernel security update, you will automatically get both the image and
headers for that update.

Okay, you're right. I was referring to the idea that upgrading one
wouldn't necessarily cause the other to also get upgraded, so you could
wind up with the two out of sync, and I was doing that because I
couldn't see any path from either package which would lead to the other. Testing it out, however, shows that in fact it does happen - and the
reason turns out to be that both packages have a versioned dependency on linux-base-amd64, so upgrading either will pull in the new version of
that, which will in turn cause apt to want to upgrade the other to
prevent its dependency from becoming broken.
--
The Wanderer
The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one
persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all
progress depends on the unreasonable man. -- George Bernard Shaw


--- PyGate Linux v1.5.14
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

On Sun, 2026-05-24 at 09:35 -0400, Greg Wooledge wrote:

On Sun, May 24, 2026 at 09:08:58 -0400, The Wanderer wrote:

On 2026-05-24 at 08:23, Antonio Russo wrote:

The linux-headers-amd64 package exists for this exact purpose. (presumably other architectures have an equivalent).

That will handle the "corresponding" part, but not AFAIK the "automatically" part - which I parse as meaning "when I install a
new
(version of) linux-image-*, linux-headers-* should get installed
along
with it, without me needing to do anything extra at install time to
make
that happen".

I have yet to manage to think of a way to *ensure* that automation
in
all circumstances, for all methods of initiating upgrade.

If you need DKMS modules, you have two paths from which to choose.
The first path, which most people choose, involves adding a
trixie-security source to apt, and installing both "linux-image-
amd64"
and "linux-headers-amd64".ÿ Whenever there's a kernel security
update,
you will automatically get both the image and headers for that
update.

That was it. After every kernel update, Debian didn't boot to a gui.
Just a black screen. Installing linux-headers-$(uname-r) resplved the
issue.

Thanks Greg.

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.14
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

On Sun 24 May 2026 at 18:00:25 (+0300), Alexis Grigoriou wrote:

On Sun, 2026-05-24 at 09:35 -0400, Greg Wooledge wrote:

On Sun, May 24, 2026 at 09:08:58 -0400, The Wanderer wrote:

On 2026-05-24 at 08:23, Antonio Russo wrote:

The linux-headers-amd64 package exists for this exact purpose.

If you need DKMS modules, you have two paths from which to choose.
The first path, which most people choose, involves adding a
trixie-security source to apt, and installing both "linux-image-
amd64"
and "linux-headers-amd64".ÿ Whenever there's a kernel security
update,
you will automatically get both the image and headers for that
update.

That was it. After every kernel update, Debian didn't boot to a gui.
Just a black screen. Installing linux-headers-$(uname-r) resplved the
issue.

$ echo linux-headers-$(uname -r)
linux-headers-6.12.88+deb13-amd64
$

Perhaps this time. But isn't that the hole you're trying to dig
yourself out of? You need to install linux-headers-amd64 as well as linux-image-amd64 (substituting whatever your architecture is).

Cheers,
David.

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.14
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

Alexis Grigoriou wrote:

Hi,

every time there is a kernel update, I need to install the coresponding linux-headers. Is there a way they can be installed automatically?

if you need a new kernel and the corresponding header files
are needed then at the moment i think a reboot would be required
to get the latest kernel running.

i think there is some eventual plans to get an update in place
kind of system going but i'm not sure that Debian is there yet.

i always do the kernel updates (for testing) and reboot and
make sure it is stable enough before i remove the second backed
up version. so right after a kernel upgrade that pulls in a
new version of the header files i will have three kernel packages
and i keep that last used kernel around until i get another
upgrade as i'd hate to have to redownload and install a version
in case of trouble. so far i've not had to ever do this - the
kernel team is doing a great job for me in how they've managed
the testing upgrades.


songbird

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.15
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)