Unrequested kernel update

[Chris]

Running Kubuntu 22.04 LTS (lsb_release -a: Ubuntu 22.04.2 LTS) I was informed that new packages are available and I just hit update. This caused my system running 5.15.0-76-generic to be switched to 5.19.0-1010-nvidia-lowlatency.

I noted this as I was now running into bugs like https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/chromium-browser/+bug/2017980

The update was, as stated in history.log:

Start-Date: 2023-07-01 00:25:40
Commandline: packagekit role='update-packages'
Requested-By: cm (1000)
Install: linux-objects-nvidia-510-5.19.0-1010-nvidia-lowlatency:amd64 (5.19.0-1010.10, automatic), linux-signatures-nvidia-5.19.0-1010-nvidia-lowlatency:amd64 (5.19.0-1010.10, automatic), linux-image-5.19.0-1010-nvidia-lowlatency:amd64 (5.19.0-1010.10, automatic), linux-modules-5.19.0-1010-nvidia-lowlatency:amd64 (5.19.0-1010.10, automatic), linux-modules-nvidia-510-5.19.0-1010-nvidia-lowlatency:amd64 (5.19.0-1010.10, automatic), linux-modules-nvidia-510-nvidia-lowlatency-edge:amd64 (5.19.0-1010.10, automatic)
Upgrade: libmm-glib0:amd64 (1.20.0-1~ubuntu22.04.1, 1.20.0-1~ubuntu22.04.2), modemmanager:amd64 (1.20.0-1~ubuntu22.04.1, 1.20.0-1~ubuntu22.04.2)

=> This simple update was changing my kernel from 5.15 to 5.19 without a request from my side

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 22.04
Package: linux-image-5.19.0-1010-nvidia-lowlatency 5.19.0-1010.10
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 5.19.0-1010.10-nvidia-lowlatency 5.19.17
Uname: Linux 5.19.0-1010-nvidia-lowlatency x86_64
NonfreeKernelModules: nvidia_modeset nvidia
ApportVersion: 2.20.11-0ubuntu82.5
Architecture: amd64
CasperMD5CheckResult: unknown
CurrentDesktop: KDE
Date: Sat Jul 1 21:16:09 2023
InstallationDate: Installed on 2018-10-10 (1724 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Kubuntu 18.04.1 LTS "Bionic Beaver" - Release amd64 (20180725)
SourcePackage: linux-signed-nvidia-5.19
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to jammy on 2022-07-24 (342 days ago)

[Olivier Robert (novhak)]

Same problem on 23.04 just now, I only had generic kernels installed, hit update, and find update-manager trying to install lowlatency and oracle kernels.

The difference is that installation failed for me, and I now have two half-conf packages :

iF linux-image-6.2.0-1005-oracle 6.2.0-1005.5 amd64 Signed kernel image oracle
iF linux-image-6.2.0-1007-lowlatency 6.2.0-1007.7 amd64 Signed kernel image lowlatency

Our version numbers are different (22.04/23.04), but it can’t be a coincidence.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

[Mario Emmenlauer (emmenlau)]

This just happened to me on Ubuntu 22.04.2 LTS. After installing updates in the last weeks, and a reboot today, I'm suddenly running kernel linux-objects-nvidia-510-5.19.0-1010-nvidia-lowlatency. I guess I'm lucky that the machine still booted!

When trying to remove the kernel, it tries to install another nvidia kernel instead: linux-image-unsigned-5.19.0-1010-nvidia-lowlatency should be installed. I can force removal of all nvidia kernels with:

sudo apt purge linux-image-5.19.0-1010-nvidia-lowlatency linux-image-unsigned-5.19.0-1010-nvidia-lowlatency

[Chris (mail-christianmayer)]

Today apt want's to update my nvidia driver from 510.108.03-0ubuntu0.22.04.1 to 525.125.06-0ubuntu0.22.04.1

Based on the bad experience of the unwanted kernel update I'm not sure whether I should take the risk.

Hopefully one of the maintainers reacts to this bug soon and gives more advice about how to solve the issue and clean up the system

[Zac Johnston (zacjohnston)]

This also installed itself and completely broke my machine, I couldn't even boot. Had to waste a whole workday trying to fix it.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

[Pierre C. Dussault (pcduss)]

This kernel creates problems for me as well, with rootless podman commands. See Bug #2026620

[Alberto Milone (albertomilone)]

First of all, sorry for the inconvenience. The problem was caused by some missing dependencies which were not yet available in the archive. We are going to look into ways to make the update process more robust.

Thank you for reporting the problem.

[Paul (enough7)]

It seems like NVIDIA Driver metapackage 535 leads to kernel panics in my case while NVIDIA Driver metapackage 525 works fine.

[Florian W. (florian-will)]

In lunar / 23.04, there is no linux-objects-nvidia-535-6.2.0-25-generic package, but the linux-image-6.2.0-25-generic package has been available for some time. Package upgrades therefore insist on switching to nvidia-dkms, no matter what I try to do. So I'm still on 6.2.0-24.

Is this just another aspect of this bug, or is the linux-objects-nvidia-* package discontinued and we are actually supposed to switch to dkms?

[ETK (greekoid-unixoid)]

Hi,

on 23.04 again nvidia driver and kernel problems...
had the same issue back in march under 22.10 with funny flickering screens to total black and back just after an update and therefore a totally unusable system, and guess? no maintainer showed interest in that messed up situation, so out of luck after several weeks and one upgrade to 23.04 with a persistent problem (lmao seriously the problem survived the transition from 22.10 to 23.04) i had updated the nvidia driver to the "beta" 535 driver and had a usable system... Now just 3 months later there it is again the same friggin problem with flickering screens and unusable system... hope that this bug request will result in some kind of patch with workable kernel and driver... but i lost hope and go to check if there is some "new" "betastyle" nvidia driver package greater than 535 in hope that i have again a usable system for at least 3 months until the game starts again...

Seriously dear maintainers, take a deep breath, do a honest self assessment and recognize your abilities and accept them, afterwards you can implement then a rollback mechanism for updates in apt and snap so that we users haven't to suffer any more and can at least roll one update back to something more usable instead of hoping that you get that stuff right before the sun freezes...

sorry but i'm really frustrated and disappointed with the overall situation regarding the nvidia drivers...

[Matthew Lilly (fuzzymonkeynuts)]

This has affected me also. Luckily I didn't remove the last kernel, as the system just goes to a black screen. No drivers load for bluetooth (as neither my keyboard nor mouse connect), otherwise I have no idea what else is going on. I thankfully keep a few previous kernels so I was able to boot into a previous version: 5.15.0-76-generic, which does work.

A few years ago I recall something else like this happening when someone made a note in the release notes to remove ACPI to see "if anyone notices".

Ubuntu 22.04.2

[ETK (greekoid-unixoid)]

ok i think someone is joking here with us?
Got today a update notification, thouhgt "oh wow finaly someone did something usefull" with the result
Again blinking screens...
Again errors all over the system...
Now with no possibility to even try another driver since apt runs into a timeout (WTF?) ... manual try to fix it runs into install errors the like "no kernel header sources found" (Seriously?)
And here i see now a status that it is in progress? Hell? What will you write if you will accept that it is a mess? Status "Aptmaggedon, all hope is lost, go and install windows!!!11!one!1eleven!" ?
Please forget that bulls*ht about agile and do at least some of that oldschool basic quality checks ... in the about 30 years before you pretend to be developers that uncool quality check stuff had worked just fine and there wasn't such mess after the millenium parties... So please get your stuff together and make it at least stable or give an open statement that you aren't able to do that stuff of work so that everyone can take the conclusions and can decide if there is further hope for ubuntu or knows then at least who are the culprits in person who messed up a once glorious and brilliant OS so that we can do serious jokes about them in reddit if there isn't much other stuff we can do

Sorry but i am totaly frustrated...

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

This bug was fixed in the package nvidia-graphics-drivers-535 - 535.104.05-0ubuntu4

---------------
nvidia-graphics-drivers-535 (535.104.05-0ubuntu4) mantic; urgency=medium

  * debian/rules:
    - Do not start the systemd services on installation or upgrade, as this can
      lead to a black screen.

 -- Alberto Milone <email address hidden> Thu, 31 Aug 2023 09:06:31 +0000

[Andy Whitcroft (apw)]

The verification of the Stable Release Update for nvidia-graphics-drivers-535 has completed successfully and the package is now being released to -updates. Subsequently, the Ubuntu Stable Release Updates Team is being unsubscribed and will not receive messages about this bug report. In the event that you encounter a regression using the package from -updates please report a new bug using ubuntu-bug and tag the bug report regression-update so we can easily find any regressions.