[Users] Issues with kernel upgrade on Debian Wheezy

[Roman Haefeli]

Hi all, Ola

I followed the recent discussion about OpenVZ kernel package management
for Debian. While I don't really have a qualified opinion on the subject
matter (personally, I slightly tend towards a new package for each
release), let me mention problems with the current situation:

* 'uname -r' does not print the actual version (This already has
  been mentioned in the other thread)

* If there is a problem with a kernel update, I cannot easily revert
  to the previous version. At our institution, we experienced cases
  where a switch to the previous kernel because of a bug was necessary.

* I'm trying to upgrade a machine right now from version 042stab084.26
  to newest 042stab085.17. I do:
  
  $ apt-get update && apt-get dist-upgrade

  and I'm prompted with the following dialog:

  $  Configuring linux-image-2.6.32-openvz-amd64
  $  -------------------------------------------
  $ 
  $  You are attempting to install a kernel image (version 2.6.32-openvz-amd64) However, the directory /lib/modules/2.6.32-openvz-amd64/kernel still exists.  If this directory belongs to a previous linux-image-2.6.32-openvz-amd64 
  $  package, and if you have deselected some modules, or installed standalone modules packages, this could be bad.
  $
  $  If /lib/modules/2.6.32-openvz-amd64/kernel belongs to an old install of linux-image-2.6.32-openvz-amd64, then this is your last chance to abort the installation of this kernel image (nothing has been changed yet).
  $  
  $  If you know what you are doing, and if you feel that this image should be installed despite this anomaly, Please answer n to the question.
  $  
  $  Otherwise, I suggest you move /lib/modules/2.6.32-openvz-amd64/kernel out of the way, perhaps to /lib/modules/2.6.32-openvz-amd64.kernel.old or something, and then try re-installing this image.
  $  
  $  Stop install since the kernel-image is already installed? 

  If Debian does in-place kernel upgrades (a.k.a keeping the package
  name while upgrading the kernel), they managed to never bother the
  user with a question like this. I certainly know too little about
  kernel package management to be of any help,  but to me that dialog
  indicates that something is still odd.
 

Those issues might be solved while sticking to the in-place upgrade
scheme and are not necessarily an argument against it. I just wanted to
mention them.

Ranting aside, I am more than happy to see someone puts the effort into
making all the great OpenVZ software easily accessible for Debian
systems. For Debian, the situation has never been better before. Thanks
a lot for that work. 

Roman