26.2 When to use kernel patches

From time to time, if you need to monitor your Linux Kernel, you will need to install the necessary patches. For example, for the Kernprof (Kernel Profiling) tool, you need patches that implement a number of profiling data collection mechanisms, as well as a device driver for controlling them, plus the user level command kernprof that allows you to configure and control the kernel profiling facilities. Also included is a small gcc patch that is necessary to build correct i386 kernels.

The patches that you need to install are therefore dependent on the tool you are going to use.

Note:

If you tweak the code (patch the kernel), you may lose your service contract with SuSE or RedHat or anyone who supplied you with Linux. Therefore, this is typically only an option for test environments, not for production.