New kernel that will crash your server (2013-12-12)

I think I just broke an important server.

I found that yum on my server had automatically installed the kernel update overnight last night, so I went to uninstall it. (Should work because older kernels are not removed).

So I tried removing it with yum, which should have also 'fixed' grub to boot from the previously installed kernel.

But yum wouldn't uninstall it without unintalling dependencies, and some of those included important libraries, so I instead used rpm to 'erase' the kernel rpms.

Now they're gone. But I can't find out how to change grub so it'll reboot from a previous kernel.

I checked grub.conf, and it does include multiple options, but I don't have local access to this machine as I do the new ones

Does anyone know, if the top kernel listed in grub can't be found will it automatically boot from the next one? (Sorry to burst anyone's bubble, but there are things I don't know, and things I can't find in google.)

And does anyone know how to change grub so it will reboot from an older kernel that's not the top entry?

I'm currently building a new server to replace the one with the problem but it won't be finished for a few days ad it will take up to a week before I can get all accounts off it. I don't want to haave to reboot this sever in the meantime and I don't think I'll need to, but just in case, I'd like to get it fixed.

Can anyone help me with this? If so, please use email and write me with your return email address and hopefully your phone number (even if not in US) so we can discuss you fixing this for me.

SAnd let everyone learn from my oversight: NEVER NEVER NEVER allow automatic kernel installs. kernel* is now on the exclude list in all my servers.

Thanks.

Jeff
 
Eureka said:
I gather the kernel update would crash my VPS servers also?
Click to expand...

Yes, it would. But it is fixed now, you can upgrade the kernel and reboot now. Please run "yum clean all" first, to make sure you don't get the old problematic kernel (wich is removed now). Here is the new announce: http://lists.centos.org/pipermail/centos-announce/2013-December/020075.html

NOTE: The previously released kernel (version 2.6.32-431.1.2) had module
signing issues and will not boot. This kernel is the same as the
2.6.32-431.1.2 kernel with proper module signing.
Click to expand...
 
That strange. On 2 servers everything went well. But on one server I got a kernel panic on updating to kernel-2.6.32-431.el6.x86_64.
After that the one you mentioned came, which I excluded and now 2.6.32-431.1.2.0.1.el6 is ready to update, but I will let the datacenter reboot the server.

@Jeff: I wrote you an email.
 
Just to verify... the new kernel is available through YUM for CentOS, and not just for Red Hat Enterprise Linux.

Is that Correct?

And, thanks, @Richard G; I did get your email and I replied.

Jeff
 
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