Reboot after kernel update mandatory?

itti · 2012-05-07 11:08:23

Hi,

I've just a small question regarding the Arch kernel update policy here... I've been using Arch for almost five years now but lately I noticed a change in how kernel updates work regarding the kernel modules. If I update my kernel via pacman as usual and don't reboot the affected Arch box immediately after such an upgrade no new kernel modules can be loaded by the then running (old) kernel. I guess that's because the "old" modules are gone after an update. That's a problem if I, for whatever reason, can not reboot immediately because for example newly attached usb devices or crypto stuff will not work until the new kernel gets loaded.

At the moment I'm using one of my Arch Boxes remotely via ssh and I've lost access to encrypted data because I accidentally updated the kernel before realizing that I won't have physical access to the computer in question over the course of the next days. The machine can not be rebooted remotely because it's partitions are LUKS encrypted.

So my question is how do fellow Archers handle such situations?

Shark · 2012-05-07 11:14:11

Ussually, after i update my kernel, xorg and drivers i reboot. I don't think you must reboot if you update xorg or drivers i think it is just enough to log in/out.
New kernel modules won't load because it is different path, i think.

Last edited by Shark (2012-05-07 11:14:26)

Gcool · 2012-05-07 11:47:34

You could also consider using the "linux-lts" kernel (updated less frequently).

baronmax · 2012-05-07 12:25:51

Either that, or you could set it up so that it won't update the kernel unless you go specifically tell it to. Put it in the pacman hold list (although I guess this could cause other problems down the road, if you let it go for too long w/o updating, but at least it would keep you from making the same mistake again). I'm guessing you probably already know how to do that, but just in case someone else has the same issue, here's the link to how to hold back specific packages:

https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Pa … g_upgraded

Good luck.

x33a · 2012-05-07 12:47:31

itti wrote:

Hi,
I've just a small question regarding the Arch kernel update policy here... I've been using Arch for almost five years now but lately I noticed a change in how kernel updates work regarding the kernel modules. If I update my kernel via pacman as usual and don't reboot the affected Arch box immediately after such an upgrade no new kernel modules can be loaded by the then running (old) kernel. I guess that's because the "old" modules are gone after an update.
[...]

As far as i know, there is no change in behaviour on arch's part. This is how it has always been, i.e., after a kernel upgrade, older modules can't be loaded.

itti · 2012-05-07 13:16:23

x33a wrote:

As far as i know, there is no change in behaviour on arch's part. This is how it has always been, i.e., after a kernel upgrade, older modules can't be loaded.

Are you certain? Maybe I haven't experienced this in the past then.

karol · 2012-05-07 13:36:59

x33a is right, this is not an Arch issue, this is how the kernel works and have worked in the past.

hiciu · 2012-05-07 15:07:40

itti wrote:

At the moment I'm using one of my Arch Boxes remotely via ssh and I've lost access to encrypted data because I accidentally updated the kernel before realizing that I won't have physical access to the computer in question over the course of the next days. The machine can not be rebooted remotely because it's partitions are LUKS encrypted.
So my question is how do fellow Archers handle such situations?

sudo pacman -U /var/cache/pacman/pkg/linux-insert-version-here-x86_64.pkg.tar.xz

and load needed modules / mount your encrypted data / etc.

karol · 2012-05-07 16:34:07

By "insert-version-here" do you mean the previous one?

Arch Linux

#1 2012-05-07 11:08:23

Reboot after kernel update mandatory?

#2 2012-05-07 11:14:11

Re: Reboot after kernel update mandatory?

#3 2012-05-07 11:47:34

Re: Reboot after kernel update mandatory?

#4 2012-05-07 12:25:51

Re: Reboot after kernel update mandatory?

#5 2012-05-07 12:47:31

Re: Reboot after kernel update mandatory?

#6 2012-05-07 13:16:23

Re: Reboot after kernel update mandatory?

#7 2012-05-07 13:36:59

Re: Reboot after kernel update mandatory?

#8 2012-05-07 15:07:40

Re: Reboot after kernel update mandatory?

#9 2012-05-07 16:34:07

Re: Reboot after kernel update mandatory?

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