Subject: Re: [vserver] seeking advicce on Host OS selection
From: Nicolas Cadou <ncadou@cobi.net>
Date: Tue, 26 Aug 2008 08:46:43 -0400
Tue, 26 Aug 2008 08:46:43 -0400
Le August 25, 2008, Herbert Poetzl a écrit :
> > why is recommended to build Debian kernel ??? i have no problem
> >
>  > with distro kernels
>
>  it is recommended to build custom kernels. period. :)
>
>  why? for several reasons:
> ...
>  why don't distributions do that?
>
>   simple, because they can't ... they have to satisfy
>   a multitude of different systems and unless you build
>   a customized kernel you will end up with the kitchen-
>   sink :)

The discussion of custom-built versus distribution-supported kernels is an 
interesting one.

I used to compile my own vanilla kernels, and later I learned to use Debian's 
kernel-package tool to build neat DEBs, and while I really enjoyed the 
control that I had, and the fiddling and the learning, I simply don't have 
enough time to devote to that anymore. Because it is not only a matter of 
compiling, it is also the required patching, sometimes patch-adjusting, and 
testing before rolling out into production that is time-consuming.

To be fair, a security update coming from a distro should also be tested 
because it could introduce regressions as well, but in practice no such 
upgrade-introduced regression ever occured. At least it never happened to me, 
it has always been flawless with Debian (and, more recently, Ubuntu as well.)

I can not say the same for custom-built kernels, unfortunately, where I got 
bit on a few occasions (mainly hardware-related.)

I have a client, our biggest account, for whom we built a Linux server to host 
their proprietary ERP. This server hosts five Linux-VServer guests, and 
thanks to this technology, we get all the performance we need out of the 
system.

But if we were to use anything else than a distro-supported kernel, in other 
words, if we would be taking *risks* with their data or their uptime, we'd 
get a lawsuit in a instant.

If there was no distribution-supported kernel, Linux-VServer would have simply 
been discarded, something else would have been used, maybe multiple servers 
in this case.

So I'm happy some distributions go through the extra trouble of offering 
Linux-VServer kernels, it is definitely helping (or in some cases, enabling) 
the spread of this great technology.

In the end I believe that it's because of the distributions' work that Linux 
is gaining any market share at all, so I think it's important to give a 
little love to the kitchen sink ;-)

-- 

Nicolas Cadou

Cobi Informatique Inc.
Tel: (450) 266-2420 (305)
Fax: (450) 266-2415


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