[elrepo] Announcement: EL5 Updated kernel-ml Release [Version 2.6.37-0.3.el5.elrepo]

[Phil Perry]

On 14/02/11 20:08, Nikki Locke wrote:
> Oh rats! If I had know that, I probably wouldn't have started down this
> road.
>
> I guess I just have to finally give in, and accept that my brand new USB3.0
> disk is not suitable for use on Linux, and I should install it on a Windows
> machine instead :-(
>
> Would you be able to explain the logic of el-repo kmod packages not
> supporting the el-repo kernels?
>
> Nikki
>

The Enterprise Linux kernel shipped by Red Hat in RHEL has a value added 
feature called the kernel ABI (kABI). Red Hat ensures the kABI remains 
stable throughout the lifetime of the product thus enabling kernel 
modules built against one RHEL kernel to be compatible with all RHEL 
kernel updates. This feature is unique to Red Hat Enterprise Linux and 
is core to the kmod packages elrepo provides. This is the reason our 
kmod packages seamlessly work across kernel updates.

The kernel-ml packages are mainline kernels (from kernel.org) built and 
packaged in rpm format for EL5. Because they are mainline kernels and 
not RHEL kernels, there is no kABI hence kernel modules (drivers) have 
to be compiled for each new kernel release as has always been the case. 
Quite simply, there can be no kABI-tracking kmods for a kernel with no 
consistent kABI to track.

The good news is RHEL6 has support for USB3 so that would appear to 
offer the best of both worlds - you can have the extra performance of 
USB3 whilst retaining an Enterprise Linux kernel.

Hope that helps.