diff --git a/internal/pkg/container/kernel.go b/internal/pkg/container/kernel.go
index c3f94db0..c87d644b 100644
--- a/internal/pkg/container/kernel.go
+++ b/internal/pkg/container/kernel.go
@@ -1,9 +1,11 @@
 package container
 
 import (
+	"os"
 	"path"
 	"path/filepath"
 	"sort"
+	"strings"
 
 	"github.com/hpcng/warewulf/internal/pkg/util"
 	"github.com/hpcng/warewulf/internal/pkg/wwlog"
@@ -15,11 +17,11 @@ var (
 		`vmlinuz`,
 		`vmlinux-*`,
 		`vmlinuz-*`,
-		`vmlinuz.gz` }
+		`vmlinuz.gz`}
 
 	kernelDirs = []string{
 		`/lib/modules/*/`,
-		`/boot/` }
+		`/boot/`}
 )
 
 func KernelFind(container string) string {
@@ -49,6 +51,16 @@ func KernelFind(container string) string {
 			for _, kernelPath := range kernelPaths {
 				wwlog.Debug("Checking for kernel path: %s", kernelPath)
 				if util.IsFile(kernelPath) {
+					// IsFile does not check if file is a softlink
+					stat, _ := os.Lstat(kernelPath)
+					if stat.Mode()&os.ModeSymlink == os.ModeSymlink {
+						wwlog.Verbose("%s is a softlink", kernelPath)
+						kernelPath, err = filepath.EvalSymlinks(kernelPath)
+						if err != nil {
+							wwlog.Warn("could evaluate symlink %s: %s", kernelPath, err)
+						}
+						wwlog.Debug("softlink is %s", kernelPath)
+					}
 					return kernelPath
 				}
 			}
@@ -65,5 +77,10 @@ func KernelVersion(container string) string {
 		return ""
 	}
 
-	return path.Base(path.Dir(kernel))
+	ret := path.Base(path.Dir(kernel))
+	if ret == "boot" {
+		ret = path.Base(kernel)
+	}
+
+	return strings.TrimPrefix(ret, "vmlinuz-")
 }