Gentoo Archives: gentoo-user

From: Dale <rdalek1967@×××××.com>
To: gentoo-user@l.g.o
Subject: Re: [gentoo-user] Re: Upgrading from 5.14 to 6.0 version
Date: Tue, 15 Nov 2022 00:10:33
Message-Id: ae18f03c-443c-c386-c69f-40a31d1d0eab@gmail.com
In Reply to: Re: [gentoo-user] Re: Upgrading from 5.14 to 6.0 version by Michael
1 Michael wrote:
2 > On Monday, 14 November 2022 21:05:57 GMT Dale wrote:
3 >
4 >> Thing is, I may go a year, sometimes more, without updating the kernel.
5 >> If I rebooted often, I could see using a LTS kernel. If a kernel can
6 >> run for months with no problems, it's stable enough for me. Plus my
7 >> hardware works.
8 > Keeping the same kernel running for long periods can leave you exposed to
9 > security vulnerabilities. Either stable or LTS kernels will be similarly
10 > exposed, if their latest backported versions are not booted with. I
11 > appreciate you're not running a public server so your profile is not as much
12 > at risk, but bad code in some application which hasn't been patched up could
13 > still leave you exposed.
14 >
15 >
16 >> I have even built a kernel but never actually booted it. By the time I
17 >> get around to rebooting, I've had to build another kernel. I generally
18 >> always work from a known stable config tho. The only reason I wouldn't
19 >> is if I build a new system and have to start from scratch. I've also
20 >> had times when I had to update because my video drivers wouldn't build
21 >> with a older kernel version that I'm running. That doesn't happen to
22 >> often but I recall running into that at least once.
23 > Shutting down your desktop applications and rebooting with a new kernel takes
24 > no longer than a couple of minutes. I mean even busy bank customer web
25 > portals have planned downtime.
26 >
27
28
29 That may be true.  I used to not mind rebooting as much but since I
30 started having to use the init thingy, I only do it when really
31 necessary.  Those init thingys have left a long term bad taste in my
32 mouth.  If I could, I'd likely never reboot.  Thing is, sometimes I have
33 a power outage and just have too. 
34
35 The other thing, my computer is my entertainment system as well.  My TV
36 runs close to 24/7.  I may pause a video if I'm outside or something but
37 other than that, it is playing something about all the time.  I do go to
38 town each Thursday morning to get my shots and pick up groceries. 
39 Because of my lengthy time between trips anywhere, I put a trickle
40 charger on my car.  Sitting for a week wasn't doing the battery any good. 
41
42 Another reason my system runs even if I'm not home, downloading of
43 files.  I'm almost always downloading something.  It's how I entertain
44 myself after all.  ;-)  Basically, this system is busy doing things,
45 multiple things, almost all the time. 
46
47
48 >> Either way, biggest question was if there was some known breakage
49 >> between my old version and a newer version. Maybe the one I tried just
50 >> had some weird problem that only affected me or I just missed something
51 >> during the oldconfig. I wish I could recall the error. Who knows on
52 >> that.
53 >>
54 >> Thanks.
55 >>
56 >> Dale
57 >>
58 >> :-) :-)
59 > Did you diff your current good kernel .config and the new failed to boot
60 > kernel .config, to find out what options/modules have changed. Besides any
61 > booting errors, this could point you to something which was missed in the new
62 > kernel, or perhaps shouldn't have been configured. That's how I go about
63 > finding the cause of a non-booting kernel in the rare occasions I end up with
64 > a lemon.
65
66
67 I tried to boot with new kernel, saw the error, rebooted into a older
68 kernel and carried on.  That was several months ago so no clue what the
69 error was. 
70
71 Dale
72
73 :-)  :-) 

Replies

Subject Author
RE: [gentoo-user] Re: Upgrading from 5.14 to 6.0 version Laurence Perkins <lperkins@×××××××.net>