Linux systemd Soft-Reboot Lets You Restart Userspace Without Rebooting the Kernel
Linux systems running systemd 254 or later support a 'soft-reboot' feature that restarts userspace services without cycling through firmware, bootloader, or kernel initialisation. Triggered via the command 'systemctl soft-reboot', it tears down running daemons, sends SIGTERM and SIGKILL to remaining processes, and launches a fresh boot transaction under the same kernel. Administrators can also switch the root filesystem during the process by placing a new root at /run/nextroot/ before initiating the soft-reboot. The approach is suited to scenarios such as userspace package updates or image-based root handoffs where the kernel itself has not changed. A full hardware reboot or kexec is still required when kernel, firmware, or hardware topology changes are involved.
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