Kernel Update- Implications of FC2 & FC3 Kernel Synchronization?

[David Curry]

Question from a neophyte struggling to better understand differences 
between fedora releases and between fedora release and update modes.

Kernel updates released today for both FC2 and FC3 have a common version 
number: 2.6.10-1.770 and are distinguishable only by the tailing release 
designators _FC2 and _FC3.  In past, there appeared a difference in 
kernel numbers as well.  Does the move to commonality of version 
numbering have any practical or functional significance for users of the 
older release?

This question is in part prompted by the yesterday's message thread, 
"fc3 with kernel 2.6.10 stresses hard disk".  2.6.10_FC2 kernels have 
been available for some time and I have been running them so the thread 
prompted the question as to whether the "stresses hard disk" phenomenon 
applied to FC2 as well as FC3.  (Release notes point out that Fedora 
Core 3 changes included "Kernel and e2fsprogs support for online growing 
of ext3 file systems.)

TIA to the gurus making the time to respond.

[Dave Jones]

On Thu, Mar 03, 2005 at 11:01:44PM -0500, David Curry wrote:
>  Question from a neophyte struggling to better understand differences
>
>  between fedora releases and between fedora release and update modes.
>  
>  Kernel updates released today for both FC2 and FC3 have a common version 
>  number: 2.6.10-1.770 and are distinguishable only by the tailing release 
>  designators _FC2 and _FC3.  In past, there appeared a difference in 
>  kernel numbers as well.  Does the move to commonality of version 
>  numbering have any practical or functional significance for users of the 
>  older release? 
I bumped from .14 -> .770 in FC2 as some users pointed out that it was
hard to see which FC3 release a FC2 update related to.

>  This question is in part prompted by the yesterday's message
> thread, 
>  "fc3 with kernel 2.6.10 stresses hard disk".  2.6.10_FC2 kernels have 
>  been available for some time and I have been running them so the thread 
>  prompted the question as to whether the "stresses hard disk" phenomenon 
>  applied to FC2 as well as FC3.  (Release notes point out that Fedora 
>  Core 3 changes included "Kernel and e2fsprogs support for online growing 
>  of ext3 file systems.) 
For the most part, the kernels are identical. The only real differences
between the two are ..

- The config options that are used to build the two kernels
 (some stuff got deprecated in FC3)
- The generation of kernel-sourcecode for FC2 kernels.
- a bunch of syntactical changes in the kernel spec for each release too.
  (Ie, FC2's mkinitrd takes slightly different command line
  arguments to the one in FC3). It's easy to spot those bits if you're curious,
  they're bracketed in %if %{FC2} or the like..
- different compiler used to generate the RPMs.

		Dave

[David Curry]

Dave Jones wrote:

> On Thu, Mar 03, 2005 at 11:01:44PM -0500, David Curry wrote:
>  > Question from a neophyte struggling to better understand differences 
>  > between fedora releases and between fedora release and update modes.
>  > 
>  > Kernel updates released today for both FC2 and FC3 have a common version 
>  > number: 2.6.10-1.770 and are distinguishable only by the tailing release 
>  > designators _FC2 and _FC3.  In past, there appeared a difference in 
>  > kernel numbers as well.  Does the move to commonality of version 
>  > numbering have any practical or functional significance for users of the 
>  > older release?
>
> I bumped from .14 -> .770 in FC2 as some users pointed out that it was
> hard to see which FC3 release a FC2 update related to.
>
>  > This question is in part prompted by the yesterday's message thread, 
>  > "fc3 with kernel 2.6.10 stresses hard disk".  2.6.10_FC2 kernels have 
>  > been available for some time and I have been running them so the thread 
>  > prompted the question as to whether the "stresses hard disk" phenomenon 
>  > applied to FC2 as well as FC3.  (Release notes point out that Fedora 
>  > Core 3 changes included "Kernel and e2fsprogs support for online growing 
>  > of ext3 file systems.)
>
> For the most part, the kernels are identical. The only real differences
> between the two are ..
>
> - The config options that are used to build the two kernels
>  (some stuff got deprecated in FC3)
> - The generation of kernel-sourcecode for FC2 kernels.
> - a bunch of syntactical changes in the kernel spec for each release too.
>   (Ie, FC2's mkinitrd takes slightly different command line
>   arguments to the one in FC3). It's easy to spot those bits if you're curious,
>   they're bracketed in %if %{FC2} or the like..
> - different compiler used to generate the RPMs.
>
> 		Dave
>
>   
>  
Thanks, Dave.