Hello, there is a newer kernel at https://download.opensuse.org/repositories/Kernel:/SLE15-SP3/standard/ This is the kernel under development that is expected to make it to Leap 15.3 eventually. Also if you know specifically what is missing to make the laptops work it would be a good idea to share the details. Unfortunately FATE is gone so there is no well-defined way to file feature requests for openSUSE. You can file bugs but unless you also happen to CC a relevant person they may just sit in bugzilla forever. Thanks Michal

On Thu, 3 Dec 2020 23:09:26 +0100 Vinzenz Vietzke wrote:

In the past we "fixed" that by manually adding kernels from Kernel:stable which neither is a clean solution nor convenient for technically unexperienced users like many of our customers.

(Besides the current kernels for SLE15 SP3 that Michal already mentioned) What exactly do you consider unclean or inconvenient about that procedure? Have you added the appropriate OBS repo into your images? If so, your customers should get frequent updates to their kernel, quite desirable for newly supported hardware. The only problem remaining would be to disable the repo again on an OS version upgrade that comes with a new-enough, more stable kernel. This can be done in Yast, if you can determine the right point in time. Torsten

On Thu, 03 Dec 2020 23:09:26 +0100, Vinzenz Vietzke wrote:

Hi all,

hopefully this is the right list for my question. Otherwise I'd appreciate a pointing in the right direction.

We (TUXEDO Computers) are selling laptops and PCs with openSUSE Leap preinstalled. One problem we run into quite often is the relatively old kernel version of Leap. E.g. for our lines of AMD Renoir laptops we would need at least 5.6.x upwards to get everything running.

In the past we "fixed" that by manually adding kernels from Kernel:stable which neither is a clean solution nor convenient for technically unexperienced users like many of our customers.

Ubuntu has their so called "Hardware Enablement" updates via point releases which delivers newer Kernels, Mesa etc. In addition to that they maintain an so called OEM Kernel, which currently is at 5.6.x. Both things are really helpful for our purposes.

So my question is: Is there something similar available for openSUSE? Maybe an intermedia kernel for Leap?

As Michal already applied, SLE15-SP3 / openSUSE Leap 15.3 kernel will cover those new hardware. But it'll be shipped months later, and the kernel ABI isn't frozen, so it's still a kind of moving target for now. That brings rather the question of your schedule. And, as Torsten suggested, integrating a proper OBS repo is the right thing for assuring the updates. So those replies from my colleagues are already some expected answers. But, OTOH, I know some outstanding (and long-standing) issues, and I guess you suffering from some of them, too: namely, 1. The Kernel:stable occasionally misses Nvidia and other KMP updates, especially at the kernel version jump from 5.x to 5.(x+1). 2. There are occasionally functional regressions at the kernel version jump. 3. It's not always trivial to get a KMP that is built for Kernel:stable. 4. Kernel:stable is no officially signed, and it can be a problem for secure boot. Basically 1 and 2 are about the upstream support and QA. The lag until KMP builds catch up may take a few weeks after the 5.x.0 is released, and the regression fixes may take a couple of stable kernel releases. (Sometimes longer, as we're seeing now for i915 graphics on 5.9.x kernels.) For addressing those, one idea would be to create a dedicated OBS project that offers the kernel for Tuxedo. It's a link from Kernel:stable but pinned to a certain revision. And you'll update the link only after confirming that everything works with the latest Kernel:stable. Also, for 3, you can create liked packages in this project to provide the KMPs for your kernel. That said, this OBS project will provide the snapshot of the package collections as the verified add-on for Tuxedo. The 4 is relevant only if the secure boot is in question. If so, the solution implies that you need either to allow the OBS project cert explicitly on Tuxedo image / deployment, or to do some re-signing work of the kernel package separately outside the OBS. Takashi

On Thu, Dec 03, 2020 at 11:09:26PM +0100, Vinzenz Vietzke wrote:

We (TUXEDO Computers) are selling laptops and PCs with openSUSE Leap preinstalled. One problem we run into quite often is the relatively old kernel version of Leap. E.g. for our lines of AMD Renoir laptops we would need at least 5.6.x upwards to get everything running.

Are you sure neither 15.2 nor upcoming 15.3 kernel support your hardware? We have a lot of hardware enablement in these, both for CPU and GPU.

In the past we "fixed" that by manually adding kernels from Kernel:stable which neither is a clean solution nor convenient for technically unexperienced users like many of our customers.

Ubuntu has their so called "Hardware Enablement" updates via point releases which delivers newer Kernels, Mesa etc. In addition to that they maintain an so called OEM Kernel, which currently is at 5.6.x. Both things are really helpful for our purposes.

So my question is: Is there something similar available for openSUSE? Maybe an intermedia kernel for Leap?

Similar suggestion came up few times in the past, usually before release of a new Leap version, more so for the odd versions where there is no base kernel version upgrade. The problem is always the same: while there are people who would be interested in running such kernel on their systems, noone is willing to prepare and, more important, maintain it. And that is really the problem. The old model where openSUSE kernel was independent of SLE didn't work well because the was visible lack of effort on backporting fixes into it. Few years ago I collected some numbers illustrating how important sharing fixes between SLE and openSUSE kernel branches is: https://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-factory/2016-05/msg00398.html I believe it's safe to assume that even if someone volunteers to maintain a separate branch with newer base version for 15.3, the result wouldn't work better than the old model we employed up to openSUSE 13.2. But so far it's rather academic question. Michal Kubecek