I checked my kernel version (uname -r) and see I’m on “2.6.34.8-0.2-default”, and I noticed that they just released 2.6.39. I’m assuming (perhaps incorrectly) that there’s been at least versions 2.6.35/6/7/8 released in there. Why isn’t my openSUSE 11.3 using anything more recent than .34? How does this updating work? Is 11.4 on a more recent one?
I am using 11.4 with all upgraded. my uname -r tells me: 2.6.37.6-0.5-default. And there is a .38 version in tumbleweed as far as I can see in software.opensuse.org. Perhaps they don’t package updated versions for 11.3 but that is just a wild guess.
On 2011-05-19 21:36, 6tr6tr wrote:
>
> I checked my kernel version (uname -r) and see I’m on
> “2.6.34.8-0.2-default”, and I noticed that they just released 2.6.39.
> I’m assuming (perhaps incorrectly) that there’s been at least versions
> 2.6.35/6/7/8 released in there. Why isn’t my openSUSE 11.3 using
> anything more recent than .34? How does this updating work?
The kernel version is not modified during the lifetime of an openSUSE
distribution. Many things could stop working. You can however, add the
appropriate repo and install a newer kernel.
> Is 11.4 on a
> more recent one?
Of course.
–
Cheers / Saludos,
Carlos E. R.
(from 11.2 x86_64 “Emerald” at Telcontar)
Hi
And to add to what Carlos said, any security related issues are
backported to supported kernel versions.
–
Cheers Malcolm °¿° (Linux Counter #276890)
openSUSE 11.4 (x86_64) Kernel 2.6.37.6-0.5-desktop
up 3 days 1:50, 3 users, load average: 0.07, 0.05, 0.10
GPU GeForce 8600 GTS Silent - Driver Version: 270.41.06
Thanks Carlos and Malcolm!
So that leads me to my next question: does anyone know if there’s benefits to upgrading 11.3 to that kernel? Anyone had issues?
My view is new users, or average users, should nominally NOT upgrade one’s kernel to a version higher than that packaged by SuSE-GmbH for a specific kernel release. A new kernel will NOT have undergone as much testing as an existing kernel release, and dependent on whether one builds the kernel properly, it may not run well.
Now there may be specific reasons why one MUST have a newer kernel (typically for driver reasons) but caution is needed there. And one of our forum users has a very NICE script one can use to update their kernel. BUT updating a kernel can cause problems, causing breakage with proprietary drivers (such as proprietary wireless and proprietary video).
The new 2.6.39 kernel offers updated AMD Radeon and USB 3.0 drivers, and also basic Poulsbo KMS driver mode-setting driver for the Intel Poulsbo video hardware (without acceleration). It also has a MAJOR regression with Intel Sandy Bridge video hardware. And for openSUSE-11.3 laptop users, it has regressions (ie worse) power management than the 2.6.34 kernel in openSUSE-11.3.
EDIT - One nice thing about openSUSE-11.4 is one can install that openSUSE release, and then use it as a basis for Tumbleweed-11.4, which is a rolling release based on openSUSE-11.4. It tends to have much newer kernels than one can get with openSUSE-11.4, and it should soon (if not already) have a 2.6.39 kernel. But I also note that Tumbleweed recently had a problem with a kernel update for some Tumbleweed users. The fact is new kernels tend to be tested less than older kernels.
On 2011-05-19 23:06, 6tr6tr wrote:
>
> Thanks Carlos and Malcolm!
>
> So that leads me to my next question: does anyone know if there’s
> benefits to upgrading 11.3 to that kernel? Anyone had issues?
Not unless you absolutely need something that is in the newer kernel.
–
Cheers / Saludos,
Carlos E. R.
(from 11.2 x86_64 “Emerald” at Telcontar)
FYI – was browsing here while watching zypper at work on my Tumbleweed update. It was installing kernel-desktop-2.6.38.6-29.1, so that’s the current version there.
Thanks! That’s very helpful and informative. I did not realize that the way you configure/compile the kernel made such a difference in how it runs.