Surviving a kernel update - ATI, Wireless, etc

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I have an HPDV7 laptop running 11.2 and experienced this weeks panic when kernel updated. With help of the forum, I have recovered, but have some broader questions.

First - I would like to second the motion that this post get some sort of super-sticky status - VERY helpful.
Thanks oldcpu.
ATI Radeon driver blown away! - openSUSE Forums

Question: Is there a way to make double sure that a kernel update is desired by the user? I do not recall agreeing to an upgrade, but perhaps just was too distracted to notice that a new kernel was part of other normal updates. Given that this is a mobile laptop, I would not normally want to go thru the update process when not connected to Ethernet.

Comment: For my DV7, I run 3 packages different from the standard kernel:

  1. Video: fglrx from the ATI Repository oldcpu has that covered in the post above.
  2. Wireless: compat-wireless, which provides an ath9k driver with improved interface with NetworkManager and significantly improved 802.11N performance
  3. NIC: R8101 driver from the NIC repository, again for improved interface with NetworkManager

For this latest kernel update, I had to reinstall fglrx and compat wireless. The NIC driver seems OK.

Comment: I run 11.2/KDE4.3.5 with the above tweaks. It runs extremely well, particularly when compared to the stock Vista the laptop came with.

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When using KMP-packages from reliable sources, kernel-updates are not a problem.

Anything else being installed “manually” (including ATI-driver “installers”, even when building a “distro-specific” RPM) will need some manual adjustment after a kernel update (sounds logical, doesn’t it).

Which manual adjustments are needed is covered by respective documentation (openSUSE Wiki oder “vendors” documentation, very often inside the respective packages).