[CentOS] Changing kernel params in CentOS 4.2

[James Olin Oden]

<snip>
> Personally, I think that the RedHat guys are very smart wrt to the
> kernel and I think the kernel is the most important part of the distro.
> So, other than building other modules or changing options in the config
> file (like we do with the centosplus kernel), I would normally use (and
> recommend) what they produce.
>
> That is not to say that other kernels, properly configured, could not
> perform better ... I would just not do it unless it was absolutely the
> only option.
>
Also, even if you have no other option, you should attempt to
understand the ramifcations of the change you are making in the
kernel.  It will be no ones fault but yours if some piece of software
needed to be rebuilt with the changed header, but wasn't and now does
not work.   And this brings you to the next point which is now you
have your new shiny one-off kernel, when you find problems who do you
go to.  Well, from experience you end up have a system running without
the one-off kernel, where you go to reproduce kernel problems so that
you can seek assistence up stream (unless the problem turns out to
only show up with your one off).   If the problem turns out to only be
with your one off kernel, then you can still ask questions, but your
universe of people able to provide support has greatly diminished.

As an aside, at one point RedHat in their RHCE classes actually taught
their RHCE's to recompile the kernel to optimize it for what ever
system they RHCE would work on.   They don't do that anymore, and as a
matter of fact if you recompile, officially they will not support you.
 I suspect something happened multiple times to cause this behavior,
and I suspect it was various users thinking that they could make
tweaks to the kernel not thinking these change through, and still get
the same level of support.   I don't really know though, but the fact
remains if you recompile your kernel today their interest in
supporting you is zero.

Cheers...james