[lug] Redhat doesn't support users that compile their own kernels.

[D. Stimits]

Ed Hill wrote:
> 
> Hi D. Smits,
> 
> First, a big congrats to you for actually submitting a bug report
> rather than whinge-ing!!!  You rock!  ;-)

I've turned in about a dozen bug reports. When they come up with a "pre"
release, I add lots of things.

> 
> Have you tried sending this response to "mharris" or opening a
> second bugzilla report that includes your comments below?  In my
> experience, the RH guys *will* listen to reason--even if they
> don't "get it" the first time.

They seem to be refusing to consider this unless I run a RH kernel,
which I cannot do since I have XFS. However, other people have also
looked at this, and the scripts do not properly check return values.
Since I'm not much of a bash programmer, and since I can't prove this is
the same thing under any kernel without reformatting my root partition,
I'm not going to tell this guy to check return values. It irks me when I
suggest someone check return values for error, and they give me a reply
to the effect that "we don't need to check return values, you must've
done something wrong". This was not a kernel issue, and has nothing to
do with redhat versus non-redhat kernels, but it will successfully bury
the issue. Oh well, end of rant.

D. Stimits, stimits at idcomm.com

> 
> Ed
> 
> D. Stimits wrote:
> 
> > A while back I discovered that the init script for ipchains does not
> > work correctly if the kernel itself does not support ipchains. This can
> > be due to the iptables module being loaded, which forces ipchains to
> > fail load. Or the module could simply not exist. Someone here confirmed
> > that the problem was that at one point the script does not check for
> > return values and runs blindly. I entered a bug report at RH bugzilla,
> > but id 43708. Finally, this is the reply I got, it sounds a lot like
> > Microsoft:
> >
> > https://bugzilla.redhat.com/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=43708
> >
> > --- shadow/43708        Sun Oct  7 08:22:37 2001
> > +++ shadow/43708.tmp.19063      Tue Oct 30 02:01:53 2001
> > @@ -3,8 +3,8 @@
> >  Version: 7.1
> >  Platform: i386
> >  OS/Version: Linux
> > -Status: ASSIGNED
> > -Resolution:
> > +Status: CLOSED
> > +Resolution: NOTABUG
> >  Severity: security
> >  Priority: high
> >  Component: ipchains
> > @@ -52,3 +52,14 @@
> >  deactivated is "not good". There is an extreme need to test
> >  for ipchains failure to activate, whether it is by direct failure,
> >  or by kernel support failure.
> > +
> > +------- Additional comments from mharris at redhat.com 2001-10-30 02:16:34
> > -------
> > +This is not really a bug, because Red Hat Linux does not support
> > +user compiled kernels.  You're free to compile and use your own
> > +kernel of course, but problems introduced by doing so, that are
> > +not reproduceable with the supplied kernels, are not generally
> > +considered bugs.
> > +
> > +If you can cause a reproduceable problem by using the Red Hat
> > +supplied kernel, then it is something worthy of investigating
> > +further.
> >
> >
> > I'm guessing that the person involved, mharris, does not realize this
> > bug exists even with redhat kernels if iptables module is loaded and
> > ipchains is attempted (since loading iptables module blocks ipchains
> > module). Sounds like a cop-out to me, I can't believe Redhat has
> > officially taken this attitude.
> >
> > So I guess be forewarned, Redhat is not interested in all bug reports
> > against security.
> >
> > D. Stimits, stimits at idcomm.com
> >
> >
> > ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> > Subject:
> >
> > [Bug 43708] Changed - /etc/rc.d/init.d/ipchains does not correctly
> > identify failure.
> > From:
> >
> > bugzilla at redhat.com
> > Date:
> >
> > Tue, 30 Oct 2001 02:01:53 -0500
> > To:
> >
> > mharris at redhat.com, stimits at idcomm.com, dlt at redhat.com
> >
> >
> > Please do not reply directly to this email. All additional
> > comments should be made in the comments box of this bug
> > report.
> >
> > https://bugzilla.redhat.com/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=43708
> >
> > --- shadow/43708      Sun Oct  7 08:22:37 2001
> > +++ shadow/43708.tmp.19063    Tue Oct 30 02:01:53 2001
> > @@ -3,8 +3,8 @@
> >  Version: 7.1
> >  Platform: i386
> >  OS/Version: Linux
> > -Status: ASSIGNED
> > -Resolution:
> > +Status: CLOSED
> > +Resolution: NOTABUG
> >  Severity: security
> >  Priority: high
> >  Component: ipchains
> > @@ -52,3 +52,14 @@
> >  deactivated is "not good". There is an extreme need to test
> >  for ipchains failure to activate, whether it is by direct failure,
> >  or by kernel support failure.
> > +
> > +------- Additional comments from mharris at redhat.com 2001-10-30 02:16:34 -------
> > +This is not really a bug, because Red Hat Linux does not support
> > +user compiled kernels.  You're free to compile and use your own
> > +kernel of course, but problems introduced by doing so, that are
> > +not reproduceable with the supplied kernels, are not generally
> > +considered bugs.
> > +
> > +If you can cause a reproduceable problem by using the Red Hat
> > +supplied kernel, then it is something worthy of investigating
> > +further.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> 
> --
> Edward H. Hill III, PhD
> Post-Doctoral Researcher    |  Emails:   <ed at eh3.com>, <ehill at mines.edu>
> Division of ESE             |  URL:      http://www.eh3.com
> Colorado School of Mines    |  Phone:    303-273-3483
> Golden, CO  80401           |  Fax:      303-273-3311
> 
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