Kernel update to 2.6.11.4-21.10 mucho hangs & oopses

jdebert@garlic.com wrote:

>
When I did an update to my SuSE10.0 it installed the following kernel
version: 2.6.13-15.7-default. Are you using 10.0? I have not experienced
any hangs so far.



--
russbucket

> When I did an update to my SuSE10.0 it installed the following kernel
> version: 2.6.13-15.7-default. Are you using 10.0? I have not experienced
> any hangs so far.
>
>

It is 9.3. I think the latest update broke something related to how
the prism2_* modules interact with the kernel. Prolly a backport that broke
how devices are handled? There are some complaints about deprecated usb
functions, all used by prism2 usb devices, among others--there also also
complaints about other usb devices using the same functions. wonder why the
kernel was changed to do this without changing the device drivers as well...

They worked fine before the update.

Now, the kernel oops out a lot of critical kernel functions such as swap,
logging, updating, et cetera.

I think the same kind of thing happened with a 9.0 update but that did not
involve the prism2 modules. The update to fix that came out rather quickly.

I guess I'd better try something else, since I cannot update 9.3 now. I am
running out of distros to try--aside from 9.3, until the update, they all
broke or behaved very badly. Grossly major pita, many days wasted. Maybe I
should just go to bsd...

jdebert@garlic.com wrote:

<snip>
> I guess I'd better try something else, since I cannot update 9.3 now. I am
> running out of distros to try--aside from 9.3, until the update, they all
> broke or behaved very badly. Grossly major pita, many days wasted. Maybe I
> should just go to bsd...

Ehhh...
If that would be easy way.
Anything I tried brought me back to SUSE. The only exemption is Knoppix as
long as it is on CD. Classic HD installation is not nearly fast as CD.

Try it, wouldn't brake the bank.
Just to save you disappointment, go to FreeBSD 6.0 or PC-BSD based on it.
Don't assume that 5.4 is better because it is not the latest, and don't
expect wonder. I'm still using SUSE.

The only thing I look from other distros is better handling of old
computers. SUSE is huge and

If you really want stability use SUSE 10.0 boxed version. I've seen many
complaints on version 10.0 (OSS) and I can't confirm any using retail
version. The wireless configuration is still pending, but the rest that
made problems to others passed with grade A.


--
Regards,
Rajko.

On 16.12.2005 20:02, russbucket wrote:

> jdebert@garlic.com wrote:
>
>
> When I did an update to my SuSE10.0 it installed the following kernel
> version: 2.6.13-15.7-default.

2.6.11.4-21.10 is the latest kernel update for 9.3 published last week.
JFTR, my 9.3 systems so far do not show any ill effects. (Knock on wood.)

--
Tilman Schmidt E-Mail: tilman@imap.cc
Bonn, Germany
- In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice.
In practice, there is.

> jdebert@garlic.com wrote:
>
> Anything I tried brought me back to SUSE. The only exemption is Knoppix as
> long as it is on CD. Classic HD installation is not nearly fast as CD.
>

knoppix works fine. On CD. It broke when installed.

> Try it, wouldn't brake the bank.
> Just to save you disappointment, go to FreeBSD 6.0 or PC-BSD based on it.
> Don't assume that 5.4 is better because it is not the latest, and don't
> expect wonder. I'm still using SUSE.
>

I want it to be stable and to work the vast majority of the time.
Heck, at this point even windoze looks more stable.

> The only thing I look from other distros is better handling of old
> computers. SUSE is huge and

I keep a few old ones around, esp 0.99 for the old PC-AT hardware I still
use.

>
> If you really want stability use SUSE 10.0 boxed version. I've seen many
> complaints on version 10.0 (OSS) and I can't confirm any using retail
> version. The wireless configuration is still pending, but the rest that
> made problems to others passed with grade A.

I got 10.0oss working OK. required some tweaks to fix problems with X,
wifi, network and Gnome and KDE. I am surprised that fvwm was finally
fixed! Now if I can just find my .fvwmrc...

Few fatal problems with 10.0--so far. we'll see if a later update breaks it
again.

suse really should stop removing old kernel versions when updating kernel
so that broken updates don't leave users with nothing to fall back on.

Still, going to get bsd. And vms, solaris, etc.

>
>
> --
> Regards,
> Rajko.

jdebert@garlic.com wrote:

> suse really should stop removing old kernel versions when updating kernel
> so that broken updates don't leave users with nothing to fall back on.
>

They actually don't remove anything just link new kernel name to existing
initrd and vmlinuz symbolic links. You can manually put old kernel and
initrd in /boot/grub/menu.lst before update. The method is up to you.
I copy few lines for existing SUSE entry and edit vmlinuz and initrd to full
name with version, and some short reminder as title that will appear on a
boot screen. This saved my day few times.

BTW stability of linux system depends a lot on components.
If you compile your own drivers, than kernel update can bring down the
system. If the problem is only video driver than recompilation using text
mode will bring system back.

Check the Midnight Commander, text mode file manager. It has built in text
viewer, editor and much more, it is really worth to have in case that
graphic doesn't work. I use it even if graphic works, as it saves me a lot
of typing every day as well as memorizing large number of CLI commands and
switches.

--
Regards,
Rajko.

On 21.12.2005 06:16, Rajko M. wrote:
> jdebert@garlic.com wrote:
>
>>suse really should stop removing old kernel versions when updating kernel
>>so that broken updates don't leave users with nothing to fall back on.
>
> They actually don't remove anything just link new kernel name to existing
> initrd and vmlinuz symbolic links.

Strange. On every single SuSE system I manage (about twenty of them,
running everything from 8.2 [yes, I know - the next ones up for a
reinstall] up to 10.0) the old kernel is gone after an online update has
installed a newer one.

> You can manually put old kernel and
> initrd in /boot/grub/menu.lst before update. The method is up to you.
> I copy few lines for existing SUSE entry and edit vmlinuz and initrd to full
> name with version, and some short reminder as title that will appear on a
> boot screen. This saved my day few times.

Interesting. Would YOU be so intelligent as to not delete the old kernel
if there is a GRUB menu entry pointing to it? I'll try that one day.

--
Tilman Schmidt E-Mail: tilman@imap.cc
Bonn, Germany
- In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice.
In practice, there is.

Tilman Schmidt wrote:

> On 21.12.2005 06:16, Rajko M. wrote:
>> jdebert@garlic.com wrote:
>>
>>>suse really should stop removing old kernel versions when updating kernel
>>>so that broken updates don't leave users with nothing to fall back on.
>>
>> They actually don't remove anything just link new kernel name to existing
>> initrd and vmlinuz symbolic links.
>
> Strange. On every single SuSE system I manage (about twenty of them,
> running everything from 8.2 [yes, I know - the next ones up for a
> reinstall] up to 10.0) the old kernel is gone after an online update has
> installed a newer one.

Right. Thanks for correction.
I mixed up compilation and update. Mea culpa.

>> You can manually put old kernel and
>> initrd in /boot/grub/menu.lst before update. The method is up to you.
>> I copy few lines for existing SUSE entry and edit vmlinuz and initrd to
>> full name with version, and some short reminder as title that will appear
>> on a boot screen. This saved my day few times.
>
> Interesting. Would YOU be so intelligent as to not delete the old kernel
> if there is a GRUB menu entry pointing to it? I'll try that one day.
>

I'll try to copy kernel with some "inventive" suffix like -old. That should
work as it works with compiled kernels.

--
Regards,
Rajko.