[CentOS] when to reboot after updates

Thu Apr 9 14:37:39 UTC 2009
David Lemcoe <forum at lemcoe.com>

Warren, thank you very much for the info! I learned a lot.

On 4/9/09, Warren Young <warren at etr-usa.com> wrote:
> nate wrote:
>> Jerry Geis wrote:
>>> What is the rule of thumb for reboots after updates...
>>
>> only with new kernels.
>
> ...and then only when you want what the new kernel provides.
>
> I have my systems configured so yum is allowed to download and install
> new kernels, but don't usually reboot unless I want the specific thing
> the new kernel fixed, or have to reboot for some other reason.  This
> saves me some hassle in rebuilding third-party drivers.
>
> Windows boxes have to reboot on almost every upgrade because the file
> I/O semantics don't allow replacing files that are in use, except in
> some very limited cases.  Windows has a feature that *ix type boxes
> don't need, which is that a program can schedule a file to be replaced
> on the next reboot.  It's part of the "move file" API.  Installers do
> this when they try to replace a file and fail, which is why an installer
> might not always prompt for a reboot on completion; it depends on
> whether the program was running when you ran the installer.  This is
> also why so many Windows installers demand that you shut everything else
> down while you install the program.  They're trying to help you out.
>
> I bring this seemingly off-topic thing up here because it's why a lot of
> people get the idea that upgrades mean reboots.  It simply isn't usually
> needed in the *ix world.  It's why my uptime records for *ix boxes are
> over a year, while my Windows boxes rarely stay up for a full month and
> almost never beyond that due to Patch Tuesday.
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