Kernel Update/reboot Best Practice Question
Dear All,
Quite some time ago I have noticed that kernel updated quite often “come in pairs”. That is, if there was no kernel update for quite some time, and, say, today kernel update for some system level (say, CentOS 6) was released, then it is quite likely that there will be yet one more kernel update for the same system level 3-5 days later. As if the kernel is first patched quick and dirty, then more careful and comprehensive work is done. Not that I would disagree with this practice, to the contrary, from some prospective it makes a lot of sense to me.
I wonder what best practices everybody follows: do you tolerate two reboots separated by few days, or you wait till final kernel update comes, and reboot only once then?
Thanks a lot for your insights!
Valeri
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Valeri Galtsev Sr System Administrator Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics University of Chicago Phone: 773-702-4247
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2 thoughts on - Kernel Update/reboot Best Practice Question
Looking at the errata list for the kernel package on RHEL 6, I don’t see any such pattern. It’s certainly happened that kernel updates are released withing a couple of days of each other, but not regularly.
https://rhn.redhat.com/errata/rhel-server-6-errata.html
I see. It must be pure psychology that makes me notice the events of two kernel updates within a few days of each other more than events of single kernel update. This answers my question about best practice: just do kernel update as soon as it is released, and reboot (and bite the bullet if another kernel update comes ;-)
Thanks a lot!
Valeri
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Valeri Galtsev Sr System Administrator Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics University of Chicago Phone: 773-702-4247
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