Hi SMB Community,
A question I am commonly asked is, 'Where can I download the Linux drivers from? I can't find them on the support site' - so we're going to have a look at how Lenovo delivers Linux support on it's platforms for driver and firmware updates.
For Driver updates, as noted in the <link> previous article </link>, when enabling Linux support for a Lenovo platform all the fixes and support needed for our platforms goes ‘up-stream’. This means it is available in, for example, the Linux kernel. This has a few benefits, one of which is that all driver updates are delivered by the distribution instead of via Lenovo.
For example if you’re using Ubuntu with the Gnome desktop, you’ll get offered the updates via the Gnome Software utility. In the example shown below the OS updates will include an update Linux kernel, along with other important system software.
There are a few exceptions to this rule, but they’re quite rare:
- RAID drivers are not usually packaged with the distribution and these are available from the Lenovo support site.
- On a few occasions we’ve published drivers on our site to make them available to customers before they are accepted upstream. This usually happens for a distribution that updates less frequently (e.g Red Hat Enterprise Linux)
For firmware updates Lenovo is delivering these on Linux via the Linux Vendor Firmware Service (https://fwupd.org/)
All firmware updates are available from the terminal using the fwupdmgr utility, but are also integrated into the same software update utility that offers the software updates. When a new firmware for your platform is released you get notified that it is available for install. All firmware updates require confirmation to install.
In summary it’s easier than ever to keep your system up to date with the fixes and improvements that come from the open source community and Lenovo. In today’s increasingly security-focused world, that’s reassuring!
- Mark
Dive into the entire Learning Linux Series or catch up on the previous post "What is the Lenovo Linux program?."
Have any questions or comments for Mark? Leave them below and tag Mark so he can see your comment!