How to change default boot kernel permanently or temporarily on CentOS http://ask.xmodulo.com/change-default-boot-kernel-centos.

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How to change default boot kernel permanently or

temporarily on CentOS

Question: I have several kernel images installed on my CentOS box, and I want to change
the default boot kernel either permanently or temporarily ("just once"). How can I change the
default kernel version used by GRUB/GRUB2 on CentOS?

When there are multiple kernels installed on CentOS, GRUB/GRUB2 boot loader chooses and
loads one of them as the default kernel during boot time. The default kernel can be chosen
differently. For example, CentOS can be configured to boot into a newly installed kernel (e.g.,
CentOS 6), or it can boot a last saved entry regardless of the kernel is newer or older (e.g.,
CentOS 7).

If you want to change the default kernel to a particular kernel version permanently, you can
modify GRUB configuration as follows.

Change the Default Kernel Version Permanently on

CentOS 7
First, list all available kernel images added to GRUB2 by running the following command.

$ grep '^menuentry' /boot/grub2/grub.cfg

Identify the GRUB menu entry for the kernel that you want to set as default. Each menu entry
is assigned by GRUB2 a numeric value starting from 0 in an increasing order. That is, the first
menu entry assigned 0, the second entry assigned 1, etc. For example, the menu entry value
for the kernel 3.10.0-327 is '2' in the above screenshot.

Open /etc/default/grub with a text editor, and set GRUB_DEFAULT to the numeric entry value for
the kernel you chose as the default. In this example, I choose the kernel 3.10.0-327 as the
default kernel.

GRUB_DEFAULT=2

Finally, re-generate GRUB configuration.

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$ sudo grub2-mkconfig -o /boot/grub2/grub.cfg

Reboot and confirm that the specified kernel is selected by GRUB2 by default.

Change the Default Kernel Version Permanently on

CentOS 6 or earlier
CentOS 6 or earlier does not ship with GRUB2, but GRUB as a default boot loader.

The first step to change the default boot kernel on CentOS 6 is to get a list of all available
kernel images added to GRUB. The following command will show you the list.

$ sudo grep '^[[:space:]]*kernel' /boot/grub/grub.conf

From the list, identify the kernel that you want to set as default. Each kernel in the list is
assigned by GRUB a numeric entry value starting from 0 in an increasing order. That is, the
first entry assigned 0, the second entry assigned 1, etc. For example, the kernel 2.6.32-431 is
assigned GRUB entry value '1' in the above screenshot.

Open /boot/grub/grub.conf with a text editor, look for 'default=N', and change N to the
GRUB entry value for the default kernel to use. For example, to set the kernel 2.6.32-431 as
the default kernel:

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default=1

Reboot and confirm that the chosen kernel has been booted by default.

Change the Default Boot Kernel Temporarily on

CentOS
Often times you may want to switch to a different kernel just temporarily, not permanently.
Even if you do want to change the default kernel permanently, it is a good idea to try a
temporary boot to a new kernel before making a permanent transition from the old kernel to a
new one. That way, in case there is any kernel crash with the new kernel, you can easily fall
back to the old kernel simply by rebooting.

Of course you can choose a kernel to boot interactively via GRUB menu. However, such
interactive control is not always available, for example, when you are booting over SSH
remotely.

Here is how to change the default boot kernel "temporarily" from the command line. I assume
that '2' is the numeric GRUB menu entry value of a kernel that you want to boot into during
the next boot session. Replace the number with your own.

On CentOS 7:

[root~]# grub2-reboot 2
[root~]# reboot

On CentOS 6:

[root~]# echo "savedefault --default=2 --once" | grub --batch

[root~]# reboot

Once you reboot, you will boot into a specified kernel "just once". Next time you reboot, you
will revert to the default kernel.

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