Official support ends for Linux kernel 2.6.32

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Monsie
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Official support ends for Linux kernel 2.6.32

#1 Post by Monsie »

Hi all,

Last week, probably many of us read that Greg Kroah-Hartman uploaded his final set of patches to this kernel, namely 2.6.32.58 and, as such, official support ended for this LTS kernel release. A few days later, Kroah-Hartman posted an interesting article on his blog in which he explained some of the history of how LTS kernels came about, and what is involved to maintain them. I found it was a very good read which you can find right here for those who are interested in kernel development.

Wary Puppy runs kernel 2.6.32 so does it matter? Well, according to Kroah-Hartman, at least one kernel maintainer will be involved in submitting patches for future releases of this kernel, therefore support will continue... though obviously not with the same intensity or commitment as before. Still, it might offer developers some comfort at the enterprise level.

In the mean time, Redhat announced earlier this year (followed closely by Oracle) that it was extending its life cycle of support to ten years for its current products. For Redhat 6.2 (which runs kernel 2.6.32) this means regular support and fixes right up to Novemver 30, 2020 as explained here and another three year extended period of support --> 2023.

So... I suppose it is largely up to Barry, but I am guessing that Wary Puppy is in good shape for a while yet :wink: .

Monsie
My [u]username[/u] is pronounced: "mun-see". Derived from my surname, it was my nickname throughout high school.

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kooliepup
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#2 Post by kooliepup »

Redhat announced earlier this year (followed closely by Oracle)
Oracle Linux is built from RHEL source, so they don't have to put much effort into it. :twisted:

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Monsie
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Official support ends for Linux kernel 2.6.32

#3 Post by Monsie »

Hi kooliepup,

Oracle Linux is built from RHEL source, so they don't have to put much effort into it.
Yes, I understand your point... however, for the past eighteen months or so, Oracle has been running a custom version of kernel 2.6.32 called: Unbreakable Enterprise Kernel as explained here in this announcement in a concerted effort to compete more effectively with Redhat. So, my thoughts are that they have the resources and talent to patch, tweak, and essentially customize the kernel to their specifications. I presume that Oracle is releasing the source code for any modifications it does to this kernel so that others may benefit, but I am not sure about this last point.

That said, it seems to me that it is very feasible to carry on with any given kernel for longer than two years, ( a LTS one for longer than three years), and Redhat and Oracle are mentioned merely as examples where companies are doing so. Of course, it helps to have the resources for kernel development, but as long as these companies are giving back the source code, then it is potentially a win for the rest of us -- i.e. the little guys.

Monsie
My [u]username[/u] is pronounced: "mun-see". Derived from my surname, it was my nickname throughout high school.

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sickgut
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#4 Post by sickgut »

the current debian (squeeze) also my pussy linux runs kernel 2.6.32-5-bigmem (32 bit but allows access to 4GB or more ram)

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Monsie
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Official support ends for Linux kernel 2.6.32

#5 Post by Monsie »

Hi sickgut,

Notably, Debian 6 (Squeeze) just issued a security patch for Kernel 2.6.32 as of March 27th. However, I have to admit that I am not clear as to their numbering system for each successive build... it looks to me as if the Debian kernel is not as new as the final patched version that was submitted by Greg Kroah-Hartman at the beginning of this month.

Monsie
My [u]username[/u] is pronounced: "mun-see". Derived from my surname, it was my nickname throughout high school.

Dewbie

#6 Post by Dewbie »

Monsie wrote:
So... I suppose it is largely up to Barry, but I am guessing that Wary Puppy is in good shape for a while yet :wink: .
See comments here.

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