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I have a virtual server at strato.de and their support didn't answer my email in 12 hours, so I'm hoping I can get a solution here (even though it might be very specific).

I did a kernel update with apt-get install linux-generic-lts-xenial. The term.log finishes 2 lines after linux-generic-lts-xenial (4.4.0.36.26) wird eingerichtet ..., which means it's successful. The kernel is in /boot, so is initrd and System.map.

What is not in /boot is the current kernel, and after a reboot I don't get the new kernel. uname -a: 

Linux h2266529.stratoserver.net 2.6.32-042stab111.12 #1 SMP Thu Sep 17 11:38:20 MSK 2015 i686 athlon i686 GNU/Linux

I have no idea how to fix this and support hasn't responded to my email. Anyone have any idea ?

xyious
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  • What virtualization technology does your provider use? – EEAA Sep 20 '16 at 02:25
  • Their new ones use virtuozzo, not sure if that applies to my over 2 year old one and no way to find out. – xyious Sep 20 '16 at 02:34
  • It would be a good idea for you to pay a bit more attention to what technologies are in use by your providers. You don't need to understand *everything* they do, but knowing generally what virtualization technology is in use is very much worth knowing. – EEAA Sep 20 '16 at 02:39
  • Very good advice. I had just assumed it was a kvm kind of deal when I set it up. Also that kind of information is probably fairly hard to come by (without specifically asking) for those cheap servers (I pay less than 10 bucks per month for that server). – xyious Sep 20 '16 at 03:16
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    That's why you ask the provider. If they're unwilling to provide the information, consider that they're not deserving of your money. – EEAA Sep 20 '16 at 03:17

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It is likely that you are actually not renting a VPS from your provider, but rather an OpenVZ/Virtuozzo container. As such, all VPSes on the host system share the same kernel, and you have no control over what kernel you're running.

For this and many other reasons, we highly suggest finding a provider that uses a true virtualization solution like KVM, Xen, etc.

EEAA
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  • So that would mean then that if I switched the servers they would move over all the settings/data and I'll have a new kernel. Would really hate to be powerless like this. Since this means I can't do anything anyway, I'll ask the support and let you know. Thank you very much. – xyious Sep 20 '16 at 03:06
  • I have no idea if your provider offers migration services like that. I would doubt it. You may consider hiring a pro sysadmin to help you out. – EEAA Sep 20 '16 at 03:07
  • They offer a server upgrade (more cores, bigger ram, etc). I would hope that means my data will be left untouched. If not, it wouldn't be too big of a deal, I can export most data. Would be a fairly big hassle to set everything up again, though. – xyious Sep 20 '16 at 03:13
  • More cores / Bigger RAM does not necessarily mean that you'll be moving away from the container-type system you're currently using. – EEAA Sep 20 '16 at 03:14
  • Finally got a response. "... get the kernel from the host-system .... can not update on your own ..." So you nailed it exactly. And no, I wouldn't be moving away from the container system, I would be moving to a new host which has a new kernel. A temporary fix if you will. – xyious Sep 20 '16 at 04:11
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    @xyious When you shop for providers, be sure to check the web site or ask them which virtualization technologies they use. If they say OpenVZ or Virtuozzo, then you know you can avoid them. True hardware virtualization like KVM, Hyper-V Server, VMware (vSphere) or Xen HVM (but not Xen PV) should be fine. – Michael Hampton Sep 20 '16 at 05:28