I've noticed that when the live kernel update is enabled through Ubuntu Pro, the kernel gets updated, but doesn't get activated until you reboot so I'm wondering what is the point if you have to reboot to activate the kernel anyway?
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When using the live kernel patching feature of Ubuntu Pro, updates to the kernel are applied dynamically while the system is running without requiring a reboot. One of the main benefits of live kernel patching is that security updates to the kernel can be applied immediately, maintaining uptime.
There are the following exceptions to live kernel patching.
If the kernel update includes new features or requires a major upgrade those changes will not take effect until a reboot. For example in Linux kernel 6.8.0-49 the major version is 6 and the minor version is 8. Upgrading the kernel from either of these major/minor versions to another version can require a reboot because these updates typically include changes that cannot be patched live.
If the changes being applied cannot be patched live for any other reason Ubuntu may still prompt the user for a reboot.
Live kernel patching primarily focuses on applying security updates to the running kernel, rather than full kernel version upgrades.
karel
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