ApisCP Docs

# Kernel

CentOS 7 ships with 3.10 kernel family while CentOS 8 is based on 4.18. These are stock kernels vetted and delivered by Red Hat. In addition to the OS kernel, ApisCP ships with package-based kernels from ELRepo (opens new window). Long-term (-lt suffix) and mainline (-ml suffix) are offered.

# Changing kernels

Long-term kernels provide greater stability, but are only available on CentOS 7 as an alternative to 3.10; this is recommended for improved OverlayFS support used by BoxFS.

Mainline kernels are available on both CentOS 7 and CentOS 8 of the 5.x family. These offer newer features at the expense of potential kernel panics. Kernels are configured using the system.kernel Scope. ApisCP may be configured to reboot automatically whenever a new kernel is installed with kernel_automated_reboot.

# Switch to long-term kernel from ELRepo
cpcmd scope:set system.kernel stable
# Revert back to OS kernel
cpcmd scope:set system.kernel system
# Reboot whenever a kernel upgrade occurs
cpcmd scope:set cp.bootstrapper kernel_automated_reboot true
# Switch to mainline kernel from ELRepo
cpcmd scope:set system.kernel experimental
# A kernel reboot will now occur when the kernel is upgraded from 4.x to 5.x...

# Troubleshooting

# Bugged kernel warning

3.10 kernels in CentOS 7 include a preview version of OverlayFS that requires additional workarounds for dangling file descriptors that won't release until the driver is fully removed from the OS, which requires a reboot.

WARNING : ListenerServiceCommon::start(): You are running a bugged version of the Linux kernel. Workarounds in place. Upgrade to a kernel newer than 3.10.1

While such workarounds are in place, if a process such as PM2 retains an open file handle on /proc, then moving to the 4.x kernel branch is necessary or terminating the offending process before a new site is added. 4.x kernel may be installed on CentOS 7 with scope:set system.kernel stable. Additionally, CentOS 8+ uses a newer kernel with a more stable version of OverlayFS that does require the same workarounds.

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