Ubuntu version / kernel update ?

[arodrime]

Hi, we are still using Precise (LTS 12.04) while new LTS 14.04 is available. Shouldn't we migrate for security (security updates) and stability ?

Kernel is quite old and it is a ".0" minor version, not sure how bad this is. Still, there is a lot of new kernel versions http://packages.ubuntu.com/precise/kernel/linux-image. Current is 3.8.0-37.

We are seeing weird things in kernel logs and think that maybe a release update or at least a kern update could help. Here is a syslog extract: https://gist.github.com/arodrime/79d9e9879f49de0db880. This trace comes from AWS EC2 (VPC) on PV mode.

Is there any reason that makes us stick to 12.04 (or to this old kernel) ?

[joaquincasares]

We are using 12.04 since that was the latest that was available during the last bake, in an effort to support the new HVM instances:
https://github.com/riptano/ComboAMI/blob/2.5/presetup/pre_1.sh#L3

We updated the kernel at bake time to support AWS Enhanced Network Support, but that was about 6 months ago:
https://github.com/riptano/ComboAMI/blob/2.5/presetup/pre_1.sh#L12

No, feel free to upgrade your OS and/or kernel. All that's really required from DSE/DSC is Java. After the AMI has done it's provisioning, you should consider the machine the same as any of your other machines and update at will.

I'll see if we can get a plan in place to upgrade to 14.04 in the future. Thanks for bringing this to my attention.

[arodrime]

Hi @joaquincasares, any more information on when your next bake will happen and if it will bring this OS update ?

[joaquincasares]

Hey @arodrime , sorry for the delay. I don't have an exact timeframe right now, but this will happen after the new year. Thanks for bumping this issue. I'll let you know when I have a better timeline for you.

Thanks again!

[mlococo]

We should hold off on a 14.04 udpate for this rebake, as opscenter isn't currently certified on 14.04: http://www.datastax.com/what-we-offer/products-services/datastax-opscenter/platforms#navtop

As to security and stability, 12.04 is a long-term-support release and will continue to get security and stability fixes from Ubuntu until April 2017.

[mlococo]

Had some internal conversations and it looks like we can make 14.04 work for this rebake. If it's easy enough, we'll bake one last set of 12.04 images as well but if that becomes a time-sink we'll drop it.

[arodrime]

FWIW, I would be just fine using 14.04 (which is LTS too). I can't really see the use case where 12.04 would be a need instead of 14.04 (now that you verified that OpsCenter will be compatible). Yet I have not a big picture of people using this and of their needs.

So 14.04 only wouldn't be an issue on my side.

[mlococo]

Closing this. The work associated with building 14.04 AMI's will be happening in the dev-2.6 branch associated with the packer ticket, #79.