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AWS linux documentation change

Service: linux · 2026-01-16 · Documentation low

File: linux/al2/ug/kernel.md

Summary

Removed identical important note about kernel 5.10 transition and kernel 4.14 support timeline as in aml2-kernel.md.

Security assessment

Same rationale as aml2-kernel.md change - removes general information about kernel upgrade benefits (including security improvements) but lacks evidence of addressing a specific security vulnerability or incident.

Diff

diff --git a/linux/al2/ug/kernel.md b/linux/al2/ug/kernel.md
index f01d43a44..be23fbf08 100644
--- a//linux/al2/ug/kernel.md
+++ b//linux/al2/ug/kernel.md
@@ -7,6 +6,0 @@
-###### Important
-
-On 2026-01-20, Amazon Linux will update its default kernel from 4.14 to 5.10 for the Amazon Linux 2 base AMI (`amzn2-ami-hvm-x86_64-gp2` and `amzn2-ami-hvm-arm64-gp2`), reflecting our long-standing recommendation that all AL2 customers use kernel 5.10 as their default. This means that customers launching new EC2 instances using these standard AMI names will automatically receive kernel 5.10, benefiting from enhanced performance, security improvements, and better hardware support without requiring any explicit action. 
-
-We will continue providing kernel 4.14 updates through Amazon Linux 2's end-of-life on 2026-06-30, and customers who specifically need kernel 4.14 can continue using the dedicated AMI names (`amzn2-ami-kernel-4.14-hvm-x86_64-gp2` and `amzn2-ami-kernel-4.14-hvm-arm64-gp2`) to ensure their workloads remain unaffected. 
-