Fedora Core 6 No More

[Paul Johnson]

On Dec 20, 2007 10:04 PM, Rahul Tidke <rahul at excelize.com> wrote:
> Hello!
>     I have been using fedora core 6 in production since its launch, I have
> applied all the software and kernel updates till data using software
> updater. As redhat/fedora announced its (core 6) end of life; I am doubtful
> about continuing its use in future??
>     I am satisfied with the performance so far, iptables and selinux
> (enforcing/targeted) are configured properly.
>  My question is
>
>  1) Shall I continue using this version or shall I upgrade to Fedora 8??
>  2) What actually end of life means??
>  3) Can I apply (kernel/software) updates after end of life?
>  4) Is there any security threat?
>
> Thank you.
I've been in this same situation and lately I've grown tired of
constantly updating Fedora systems that, at least on the surface, seem
to work fine.  Especially on servers, where users are using very few
GUI programs, the update has no functional benefit.

At the current time, I'm testing the longer-lived linux distributions
on 2 machines.  Since I like the RPM system, I stayed in that family.
I've installed CentOS5 and Scientific Linux 5. Both are offshoots of
RedHat Enterprise Linux.

On a user workstation, I do not think I would recommend this strategy
because those distributions lag quite horribly in the introduction of
the "creature features" of the desktop. No Gnumeric, no inkscape, old
R, old firefox, old thunderbird, and on and on.  I started trying to
keep track of the applications that I needed to build and or update
for an SL5 system and it has been pretty time consuming.

http://pj.freefaculty.org/ScientificLinux/5

But on a server, where users don't run firefox, inkscape, R or the
like, it seems to me the SL or CentOS is the right approach.  These
distributions promise security updates for several years.

But if you keep running Fedora 6, I sorta think you don't need to
worry so much about security in the short term.  If you look at the
packages on Fedora 6, many of them are significantly newer than on
CentOS or SL.

The other thing is this.  On the system where you want to run the
older Fedora, keep it and secure it.  You might just try to turn off
services you don't use and then tighten up the ones you really do
need.   It is quite easy to do that once you figure out what you
really need.  If you allow logins from only a limited number of IP
addresses, it is easy (very easy) to close off access from all other
locations.

Oh, one more thing.  You can always update the kernel without updating
the whole OS.  You could just TRY to install a kernel RPM from F8 on
an F6 system.  The worst that could happen is that it fails, or
requires some updates you don't want to make.  Then you face the
relatively easy task of taking the SRPM for the new kernel that you
want and rebuilding it on your F6 system.

It used to be that there was a "Fedora Legacy" project that would do
this for you, but they disbanded...

pj



-- 
Paul E. Johnson
Professor, Political Science
1541 Lilac Lane, Room 504
University of Kansas