30.3. Downloading the Upgraded Kernel

There are several ways to determine if an updated kernel is available for the system.

Security Errata — See http://www.redhat.com/security/updates/ for information on security errata, including kernel upgrades that fix security issues.
The Red Hat Network — For a system subscribed to the Red Hat Network, the yum package manager can download the latest kernel and upgrade the kernel on the system. The Dracut utility will create an initial RAM disk image if needed, and configure the boot loader to boot the new kernel. For more information on installing packages from the Red Hat Network, see Chapter 8, Yum. For more information on subscribing a system to the Red Hat Network, see Chapter 6, Registering the System and Managing Subscriptions.

If yum was used to download and install the updated kernel from the Red Hat Network, follow the instructions in Section 30.5, “Verifying the Initial RAM Disk Image” and Section 30.6, “Verifying the Boot Loader”, only do not change the kernel to boot by default. Red Hat Network automatically changes the default kernel to the latest version. To install the kernel manually, continue to Section 30.4, “Performing the Upgrade”.