Kernel update 3.10 to 3.19 possible?

[kharvatis]

Forum search says my query is too common --won't help me

I need to update a production Centos 7 (kernel 3.10.0-862) to latest 3.19 kernel. As far as I can search, I cannot find a straightforward method for such an update. Is it possible and safe?

tia!

[TrevorH]

The CentOS 7 kernel is based on 3.10.0 and always will be. However, RH backport a large number of fixes from more recent kernels to their allegedly 3.10 kernel so it's possible that whatever you are looking for is already present despite the apparent "wrong" kernel version. In any case your current kernel is severely out of date and needs updating - 3.10.0-862 is the 7.5 kernel version and was released in 2018 so you are missing all fixes from 2018 until now.

You should yum update ASAP.

[jlehtone]

"Latest 3.19" upstream kernel did exist in 2016.
Latest RHEL "3.10.0" kernel was released this year.

Does RHEL kernel have features from 2016? Maybe, maybe not.
The important point is that Enterprise Linux (e.g. CentOS 7) is a package deal.
Run 'yum update' regularly and do not mess it [production system] with third-party content.

[kharvatis]

Thank you guys.

This is a LAMP system, and since it's production I'm feeling a bit insecure updating everything. The software it runs always tells me to consult with my system admin (i.e. me) but I am not a Linux wiz; just an entry-level admin let's say. Would it be safe to yum update everything, and go even to latest kernel (5?)? Apache, PHP, MySQL 5.7, will they all stay intact?

[TrevorH]

Just run yum update on a regular basis and you will receive all the security updates that are released. CentOS 7 is a rebuild of RHEL 7 and that is supported until mid-2024. It will receive security updates via yum until then.

[tunk]

yum update will not get the "latest kernel (5?)? Apache, PHP, MySQL 5.7".
The yum update packages are the same basic versions with backported security fixes:
https://access.redhat.com/security/updates/backporting
https://www.redhat.com/en/blog/what-bac ... t-products
Manually updating to the "latest" versions could be to open a can of worms.
You may end up with something that sort of works, or doesn't work at all.

[jlehtone]

This is a LAMP system, and since it's production I'm feeling a bit insecure updating everything.

The goal of RHEL is to provide a stable platform for the lifetime of the distro. That one could have set up EL7 LAMP in 2014 and run 'yum update' regularly until June 2024 without the services breaking.

[kharvatis]

Thank you all again.

I missed to mention an important reason for my insecurity. I understand the goad of RHEL and I am practicing backup and DR scenarios to the best of my abilities. However the system in question is a cumstomer support database which consumes incoming email. So any bad move on my part will result in loss of information. That's why I am reluctant. But... updates caught up with me So far I have done a lot of updating, but now I thnk I have to set up a new Centos 7 and move everything there. (A whole new set of problems and insecurity here!)

[TrevorH]

Red Hat patch RHEL 7 and will do until it goes EOL in 2024. If you go outside the normal patching and replace components with ones from outside you are actually making your server less secure and your life more difficult. Stick with the distro packages, they are patched on a regular basis.