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Re: concurrent installs of previous + current kernels



Hi Boyd,

On Feb 1, 2010, at 7:20 PM, Boyd Stephen Smith Jr. wrote:
> New upstream versions, or any version that changes the kernel ABI will be 
> retained (or at least can be simply retained), since the kernel ABI will be in 
> the new package name--it is a replacement only as far as relatively weak 
> dependencies are concerned.
> 
> For example, your Lenny kernel will be retained when/if you get a kernel from 
> Squeeze (e.g. during a release-time upgrade).  You can install the Lenny, 
> Squeeze and Sid kernels side-by-side with some ease currently.

This makes perfect sense.

> If there is a Lenny-and-a-half "release", it might have a kernel with a new 
> ABI.  (The Etch-and-a-half "release" did.)  If that is the case, installing 
> the "Lenny-and-a-half kernel" and the "Lenny kernel" concurrently will also be 
> quite easy.

Well, in my case, the difference between the kernel images provided by the following two debs:

linux-image-2.6.26-2-686_2.6.26-17_i386.deb
linux-image-2.6.26-2-686_2.6.26-21_i386.deb

don't differentiate by a release as I understand it, correct?

> You could.  Since the kernel ABI determines module compatibility, modules for 
> the new kernel would work with the old one it is was not assigned a package 
> name.

OK, this is good to know.

thanks for your help!
-lev

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