Michael wrote:
> On Monday, 14 November 2022 21:05:57 GMT Dale wrote:
>
>> Thing is, I may go a year, sometimes more, without updating the kernel.
>> If I rebooted often, I could see using a LTS kernel. If a kernel can
>> run for months with no problems, it's stable enough for me. Plus my
>> hardware works.
> Keeping the same kernel running for long periods can leave you exposed to
> security vulnerabilities. Either stable or LTS kernels will be similarly
> exposed, if their latest backported versions are not booted with. I
> appreciate you're not running a public server so your profile is not as much
> at risk, but bad code in some application which hasn't been patched up could
> still leave you exposed.
>
>
>> I have even built a kernel but never actually booted it. By the time I
>> get around to rebooting, I've had to build another kernel. I generally
>> always work from a known stable config tho. The only reason I wouldn't
>> is if I build a new system and have to start from scratch. I've also
>> had times when I had to update because my video drivers wouldn't build
>> with a older kernel version that I'm running. That doesn't happen to
>> often but I recall running into that at least once.
> Shutting down your desktop applications and rebooting with a new kernel takes
> no longer than a couple of minutes. I mean even busy bank customer web
> portals have planned downtime.
>
That may be true. I used to not mind rebooting as much but since I
started having to use the init thingy, I only do it when really
necessary. Those init thingys have left a long term bad taste in my
mouth. If I could, I'd likely never reboot. Thing is, sometimes I have
a power outage and just have too.
The other thing, my computer is my entertainment system as well. My TV
runs close to 24/7. I may pause a video if I'm outside or something but
other than that, it is playing something about all the time. I do go to
town each Thursday morning to get my shots and pick up groceries.
Because of my lengthy time between trips anywhere, I put a trickle
charger on my car. Sitting for a week wasn't doing the battery any good.
Another reason my system runs even if I'm not home, downloading of
files. I'm almost always downloading something. It's how I entertain
myself after all. ;-) Basically, this system is busy doing things,
multiple things, almost all the time.
>> Either way, biggest question was if there was some known breakage
>> between my old version and a newer version. Maybe the one I tried just
>> had some weird problem that only affected me or I just missed something
>> during the oldconfig. I wish I could recall the error. Who knows on
>> that.
>>
>> Thanks.
>>
>> Dale
>>
>> :-) :-)
> Did you diff your current good kernel .config and the new failed to boot
> kernel .config, to find out what options/modules have changed. Besides any
> booting errors, this could point you to something which was missed in the new
> kernel, or perhaps shouldn't have been configured. That's how I go about
> finding the cause of a non-booting kernel in the rare occasions I end up with
> a lemon.
I tried to boot with new kernel, saw the error, rebooted into a older
kernel and carried on. That was several months ago so no clue what the
error was.
Dale
:-) :-)
> On Monday, 14 November 2022 21:05:57 GMT Dale wrote:
>
>> Thing is, I may go a year, sometimes more, without updating the kernel.
>> If I rebooted often, I could see using a LTS kernel. If a kernel can
>> run for months with no problems, it's stable enough for me. Plus my
>> hardware works.
> Keeping the same kernel running for long periods can leave you exposed to
> security vulnerabilities. Either stable or LTS kernels will be similarly
> exposed, if their latest backported versions are not booted with. I
> appreciate you're not running a public server so your profile is not as much
> at risk, but bad code in some application which hasn't been patched up could
> still leave you exposed.
>
>
>> I have even built a kernel but never actually booted it. By the time I
>> get around to rebooting, I've had to build another kernel. I generally
>> always work from a known stable config tho. The only reason I wouldn't
>> is if I build a new system and have to start from scratch. I've also
>> had times when I had to update because my video drivers wouldn't build
>> with a older kernel version that I'm running. That doesn't happen to
>> often but I recall running into that at least once.
> Shutting down your desktop applications and rebooting with a new kernel takes
> no longer than a couple of minutes. I mean even busy bank customer web
> portals have planned downtime.
>
That may be true. I used to not mind rebooting as much but since I
started having to use the init thingy, I only do it when really
necessary. Those init thingys have left a long term bad taste in my
mouth. If I could, I'd likely never reboot. Thing is, sometimes I have
a power outage and just have too.
The other thing, my computer is my entertainment system as well. My TV
runs close to 24/7. I may pause a video if I'm outside or something but
other than that, it is playing something about all the time. I do go to
town each Thursday morning to get my shots and pick up groceries.
Because of my lengthy time between trips anywhere, I put a trickle
charger on my car. Sitting for a week wasn't doing the battery any good.
Another reason my system runs even if I'm not home, downloading of
files. I'm almost always downloading something. It's how I entertain
myself after all. ;-) Basically, this system is busy doing things,
multiple things, almost all the time.
>> Either way, biggest question was if there was some known breakage
>> between my old version and a newer version. Maybe the one I tried just
>> had some weird problem that only affected me or I just missed something
>> during the oldconfig. I wish I could recall the error. Who knows on
>> that.
>>
>> Thanks.
>>
>> Dale
>>
>> :-) :-)
> Did you diff your current good kernel .config and the new failed to boot
> kernel .config, to find out what options/modules have changed. Besides any
> booting errors, this could point you to something which was missed in the new
> kernel, or perhaps shouldn't have been configured. That's how I go about
> finding the cause of a non-booting kernel in the rare occasions I end up with
> a lemon.
I tried to boot with new kernel, saw the error, rebooted into a older
kernel and carried on. That was several months ago so no clue what the
error was.
Dale
:-) :-)