# Possibility of upgrading BlueField-2 DPU kernel version using Ubuntu HWE

**URL:** <https://forums.developer.nvidia.com/t/possibility-of-upgrading-bluefield-2-dpu-kernel-version-using-ubuntu-hwe/284433>\
**Category:** BlueField\
**Created:** [February 28, 2024, 7:51pm UTC](https://forums.developer.nvidia.com/t/possibility-of-upgrading-bluefield-2-dpu-kernel-version-using-ubuntu-hwe/284433 "2024-02-28T19:51:18Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![nicolaskribas](https://developer.download.nvidia.com/images/forums/profile-default-devtalk-84.png) [@nicolaskribas](https://forums.developer.nvidia.com/u/nicolaskribas)\
**Post date:** [February 28, 2024, 7:51pm UTC](https://forums.developer.nvidia.com/t/possibility-of-upgrading-bluefield-2-dpu-kernel-version-using-ubuntu-hwe/284433/1 "2024-02-28T19:51:18Z")

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I have a use case that requires a feature available in a kernel version newer than the one provided in the Ubuntu 22.04 BFB (which comes with kernel 5.15).  
More specifically, I need the XDP support for uplink representors in SwitchDev mode that was [introduced in kernel 6.0](https://docs.nvidia.com/networking/display/kernelupstreamv67/changes+and+new+features+history) (Ref. 3015063).

Currently, I am running the Ubuntu 22.04 with the default kernel in two BlueField-2 DPUs. But, to suffice my use case, I plan to upgrade the kernel version in the DPUs using the Hardware Enablement (HWE) kernel provided by Ubuntu, which for version 22.04 is kernel 6.5.

Some dependencies like MLNX\_OFED are compiled against a specific kernel version, and I think it would need to be recompiled after the kernel upgrade.

Is this upgrade possible/supported? Is there any documentation on rebuilding and installing the necessary packages for the new kernel?  
If not, is there any other way to get a newer kernel?

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**Author:** ![spruitt](https://developer.download.nvidia.com/images/forums/profile-default-devtalk-84.png) [@spruitt](https://forums.developer.nvidia.com/u/spruitt)\
**Post date:** [March 7, 2024, 12:45am UTC](https://forums.developer.nvidia.com/t/possibility-of-upgrading-bluefield-2-dpu-kernel-version-using-ubuntu-hwe/284433/2 "2024-03-07T00:45:53Z")

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There is a reference: (Building your own BFB installation image)  
BFB (BlueField boot stream and OS installer) build environment

> **[GitHub - Mellanox/bfb-build: BFB (BlueField boot stream and OS installer) build...](https://github.com/Mellanox/bfb-build)**
>
> BFB (BlueField boot stream and OS installer) build environment

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![nicolaskribas](https://developer.download.nvidia.com/images/forums/profile-default-devtalk-84.png) [@nicolaskribas](https://forums.developer.nvidia.com/u/nicolaskribas)\
**Post date:** [March 13, 2024, 5:58pm UTC](https://forums.developer.nvidia.com/t/possibility-of-upgrading-bluefield-2-dpu-kernel-version-using-ubuntu-hwe/284433/3 "2024-03-13T17:58:38Z")

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I tried building my installation image but wasn’t able to.

There is a lack of documentation on installing the required dependencies in DEB-based systems, the README only has examples of how to do it for RPB-based ones. Also, the documentation asks for installing MLNX\_OFED and Bluefield SoC drivers, but the referenced repo for version 4.6 “[Index of /public/repo/bluefield/4.6.0-13035](https://linux.mellanox.com/public/repo/bluefield/4.6.0-13035/)” doesn’t contain the MLNX\_OFED and has no Deb packages for BlueField SoC drivers.

What I’m really asking is: how to get MLNX\_OFED and BlueField SoC drivers for DEB-based systems?