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Oracle Brings Real-Time Kernel Patching To Oracle Enterprise Linux

Posted by timothy on from the any-old-time-you-want dept.

prisoninmate writes: Oracle's Unbreakable Enterprise Kernel (UEK) Release 4 is an important engineering effort and introduces performance improvements and enhancements for some of the most essential components, including CPU schedulers and Automatic NUMA Balancing, along with powerful new features, such as real-time kernel patching, which is possible thanks to the Ksplice open-source extension of the Linux kernel 4 branch, which lets users to apply patches to the running kernel without the need to reboot the system, thus improving security and simplify the management of cloud infrastructures.

13 of 52 comments (clear)

  1. Welcome to 2008? by stoborrobots · · Score: 2

    Welcome to 2008?

    --
    "Go to CNN [for a] spell-checked, fact-checked summary" -- CmdrTaco
  2. Returning the favour by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    So Oracle takes linux tech and uses it for their own purposes. Okay fine. How about donating some source code to the ZFSonLinux project? What's that you say? Patents, you say?

    1. Re:Returning the favour by F.Ultra · · Score: 3, Informative

      Hardly the GPL that causes issues when the license for ZFS was deliberately created to be non GPL compatible. If Linux had been licensed with any other license then Oracle would have written a license to avoid that one too. ZFS was meant to be a differentiator to make Solaris a better choice for the Enterprise than Linux.

  3. Ksplice really is not new by SuilAmhain · · Score: 5, Informative

    I would probably be an Oracle "fan boy". Ksplice is not new. They "bought" it a few years ago, one of the main reasons it took so long forTorvald's kernel to get hot kernel patching.

    Ksplice will only update the OS, it cannot update drivers or firmware of any kind (Storage arrays, NICs, etc...) you still need to bounce for that. Learned the unfortunate way when we needed to update drivers for a buggy as be damned big blue flash array. (Very recent history...)

    Also as I RTFA, SELinux does not yet work with an Oracle DB. When it does it will be amazing, but it has not happened yet...

    1. Re:Ksplice really is not new by MTEK · · Score: 2

      Also as I RTFA, SELinux does not yet work with an Oracle DB.

      Are you sure about that?

    2. Re:Ksplice really is not new by Lunix+Nutcase · · Score: 3, Informative

      Also as I RTFA, SELinux does not yet work with an Oracle DB. When it does it will be amazing, but it has not happened yet...

      Wrong.

    3. Re:Ksplice really is not new by argumentsockpuppet · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Or, as usual, do the same thing with CentOS for free.

      https://wiki.centos.org/HowTos...

      I don't get the animosity towards RH. I haven't paid for their support in years and years, but when I did, it was so I could call somebody when something went wrong and get reliable help quickly.

      I only ever had to call a couple times, but the support I got was better than I ever received from most companies.

      Oracle? Oracle is on the opposite end of that list. I won't touch Oracle ever again if I can help it. I am aware of the things Oracle brings to the table but it's not worth the pain.

  4. real-time ad time by turkeydance · · Score: 2

    y'all know how this works.

  5. are you kidding me by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    read a joke about Slashdot shilling oracle Linux for the next slashvertisement. At least I thought it was a joke.

  6. Wait by JustAnotherOldGuy · · Score: 2

    If it's unbreakable why do they have to patch it?

    "Yeah, this thing will never break! Hang on a sec while I fix it..."

    --
    Just cruising through this digital world at 33 1/3 rpm...
    1. Re:Wait by JustAnotherOldGuy · · Score: 2

      I does seem a bit ballsy for Oracle to name their product 'unbreakable',

      That was a triumph of marketing over common sense. It's like naming the local slut, "Lil' Miss Faithful".

      --
      Just cruising through this digital world at 33 1/3 rpm...
  7. Live patching cloud? by Znork · · Score: 2

    If you need to live patch your kernel you've got a misdesigned application. Failures happen and if you can't design your application for redundancy, don't expect uninterrupted service.

    If you need to live-patch kernels in your cloud infrastructure, you need to go back to the drawing board because you don't have a cloud, you have a SPOF.

  8. Real time by enriquevagu · · Score: 2

    "Real time" like with bounded deadlines, right? Or maybe you mean "live", "online" or "nonstop"?