I’ve compiled and placed online the latest mainstream Linux kernels 5.11rc4 and 5.10.9.  The 5.11rc4 is only available in client form since it is still a release candidate it is not really suitable for server use yet.  When the official release comes out I will place a server version.

     The kernels can be obtained from: https://www.eskimo.com/kernel/linux-{version}-tickless/{client|server}/files.deb.

     There are three files for each kernel, download them all and install with: dpkg -i *.deb  These will work on any debian based distribution such as Debian, Ubuntu, Mint, MxLinux, Zorin, Julinux, etc.

     These are all compiled as fully tickless kernels.  This is advantageous in situations where not wasting CPU cycles servicing clock interrupts where there is no work to be done is advantages, such as laptops where battery life is a concern or hosts with many virtual machines where each virtual machine wasting CPU totally can end up wasting more than real applications.

     The “client” kernels are fully pre-emptive with a 1000Hz clock rate to minimize latency and are the best choice for multi-media, gaming, home desktops and workstations.  The “server” kernel is non-pre-emptive with a 100Hz clock to maximize throughput at the expense of latency.

     These kernels are all capable of running on bare metal or virtualized environments.  They are all capable of hosting KVM/Qemu virtual machines provided you have the proper vt-t/vt-d instructions in your CPU.

Test posting.

     Last night I managed to repair the PHP environment on our web server except that PHP 8.x is presently uninstalled, it wasn’t the default so this should only affect testing.

     Tonight I will re-install and then take the web server down for about 45 minutes to back it up.

test

     I accidentally deleted my /home directory (what Windows folks call folder) on my workstation yielding it being mostly useless.  I am in the process of restoring from backups but I will be unable to do most of the usual stuff while this process is under way.

     Reboots are completed.  NFS appears to be functioning.  Hopefully this kernel will be stable.

     If you run a Debian based distro (Ubuntu, Debian, Mint, MxLinux, Zorin, Julinux, etc) and would like to try 5.10, I have made .deb packages available in https://www.eskimo.com/kernel/linux-5.10-tickless/[client|server|/…deb

     Choose client if low latency is the most important thing, typically used in a workstation, gaming, or video production environment, and server if throughput is most important.  The client kernels are fully preemptive and have 1000Hz clock (but tickless), and the server kernels are non-preemptive with a 100Hz clock.

     Navigate to the appropriate directory then download all three “.deb” files and install with:

     dpkg -i *.deb

     I will be rebooting all the servers tonight starting around 11pm, should be concluded by midnight, to install a new kernel, 5.10.1.  Hopefully it will work and one boot will be enough.

     As with 5.9 which never really worked, there have been significant changes to NFS which we make heavy use of here.  If it works it will be a win because some of those changes will bring about better efficiency especially for sparse files which will help when moving virtual machines between physical hosts.  I’ve tested the NFS client and it seems to be working well but can’t really test servers adequately except with real traffic.

     Maintenance completed on vps2, vps3, and vps4.

   Now I will be taking vps1, mxlinux, and zorin down for about 1/2 hour each for imaging (a form of backup).

     I’m going to be taking vps2, vps3, and vps4 out of service for about 20-30 minutes each tonight for imaging (a form of backup in which the entire virtual machine image is copied).