On Sat, Mar 29, 2003 at 12:04:22PM -0500, Roberto Sanchez wrote: > I am running Woody with 2.4.18-bf2.4 kernel. This is the original install kernel. Normally, people upgrade to one of the kernel-image packages in Debian, but if it works for you, why mess with it? > I am wondering if I should bother upgrading my kernel? Hmm, as long as it works for you, I'd leave it alone. I used to be an obsessive upgrader, trying all the latest patches and -pre and -ac kernels, but I've stopped that now; my system works just fine, and now I can do real work :) > If there is no point to upgrading now, what should I look for that > will make it worthwhile? Hardware support or new features. There are patches around (the -ck set, especially), that can give you a nice performance boost, if you feel the need. Aside from that, 2.4.18 is probably the nicest 2.4 kernel around, so switching versions ain't much of a gain. That said, there actually is a reason to upgrade, this week. All 2.2 and 2.4 kernels have a local root exploit, which means any user who can log into your machine can become root. This is Very Bad. If untrusted people have (login) access to your box, you need to upgrade now. If you're running network daemons which could possibly be exploited, you need to upgrade now, too. You'll have to assess how much this bothers you, yourself; anyone with physical access to your machine can already get root within a couple of minutes, so it's mostly a problem if you have untrusted remote users. > I realize this is a pretty basic question, but I am still working to > understand all the intricacies of Linux (i.e., I never had to worry > about upgrading the kernel in Windows ;) It's a fair question; it's more something you'll have to figure out for yourself, though, we can only guide you :-) -- Rob Weir <rweir@ertius.org> http://www.ertius.org/ Encrypt your mail: 1024D/1E73B7CD, 4096R/3ABDE5EC | Do I look like I want a CC? Words of the day: Albanian HAMASMOIS Kennedy csystems high security clones M-14
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