how do you handle (un)supported linux distributions?

[Dotan Cohen]

On Thu, May 19, 2011 at 15:46, Gabor Szabo <szabgab at gmail.com> wrote:
> The version I use on the serve is the LTS (Long Term Support) which
> is supported for 5 years. We are in mid-term.
>

So it is a supported OS. Your subject line implied that it is no
longer receiving [security] updates.

> While the upgrades of Ubuntu on my desktop usually went fine
> here and there I encountered issues. I could live with that as it only
> affected me. If my server breaks then I am in for rough night and
> a few hundred other people might not get the service.
> So I am reducing risk and sticking to use old versions of
> various applications and libraries.
>

Agreed, this is prudent. So long as your software works with the
install library versions, that is. One issue I'm having now is a RHEL
3 server with MySQL 4. A non-critical but nice to have application
(Joomla) needs MySQL 5, and that would mean updating the whole server
and a slew of running applications that will break in who knows how
many ways. This leads me to an ambiguity: on one hand, never touch a
running server! On the other, upgrading from RHEL 3 to 4 to 5 and
possibly to 6 would have eased the migration path and allow this
server to still be used for new applications. As it is, it will
probably be relegated to running only the current legacy apps, even
though the hardware is more than adequate for the needs of newer
applications.

-- 
Dotan Cohen

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