Hi,
as we've started the development of openSUSE Leap 42.3, this question
seems mandatory:
Should we -
A) use a kernel based on SLE12-SP3 (4.4.x), or -
B) fork an own branch based on 4.9.x?
The former is the way we did for openSUSE Leap 42.2. We keep the same
code base as SLE12-SP2 while applying a slightly different kernel
configs. This gives more test coverage by SUSE and other 3rd parties,
and also much easier maintenance for security and other fixes.
Meanwhile, the latter is like what we did for openSUSE Leap 42.1. It
has own branch based on the upstream stable tree. 4.9.x is supposed
to be a LTS branch, so we can take it. This would require higher
maintenance cost, and maybe receive less bug fixes from our side, in
the end.
The biggest concern by (A) is that it's based on the 4.4.x kernel.
It's rock solid, but it's old. It'll get fewer upstream stable
updates later. Although SLE12-SP3 will cover some of new hardware
(like Intel Kabylake platforms), it won't give the full list of new
hardware in the market. 4.9.x covers a bit more than that.
You might think 4.9.x will be also old enough at the time of Leap 42.3
release. Right. If we really want to track a newer stuff, another
alternative is -
C) keep rolling until the next LTS kernel is released, then stick with
LTS kernel.
The demerit of this method is, however, that you'll loose kABI
compatibility until fixed with LTS, thus every KMP must be rebuilt
before releasing the kernel update. So I find it a bit messy. If you
want a rolling update, you can use TW, after all. But I'm open for
this option, too. We might have a luck with the release date of LTS
kernel.
Any comments, opinions and suggestions are appreciated.
thanks,
Takashi
--
To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse-kernel+unsubscribe(a)opensuse.org
To contact the owner, e-mail: opensuse-kernel+owner(a)opensuse.org