Slicehost

We're very happy to announce the ability to run your own kernel on your Slices. Until now, there was a choice of kernels from which to boot but it was controlled via the SliceManager. Running your own kernel allows you fine-grained control over the features you specifically need as well as greater compatibility with your chosen distribution.

For those that want the simplicity of not worrying about which kernel to choose or how to configure it we will, of course, keep offering our own kernels via the SliceManager.

Please be aware that this feature is currently in beta and is available for slices located in our STL-B, DFW, and ORD data centers at this time. It has been fully tested to work on the following distributions.

• Ubuntu 10.10 (Maverick)
• Ubuntu 10.04 (Lucid) LTS
• Ubuntu 9.10 (Karmic)
• Debian 5.0 (Lenny)
• Centos 5.5
• Fedora 13
• Arch 2010.05
• Red Hat EL 5.4
• Gentoo 10.1

Please Note

You will need to make some minor changes to your Slice configuration to enable your chosen kernel to boot properly. For those familiar with running their own kernels, the changes are minimal but I would stress they are essential. Files such as menu.lst will need to be changed.

We have, of course, a great set of articles ready taking you through any and all changes you need to make. The articles are specific to each distribution, so please ensure that you are using the correct one when configuring your Slice (it's easy to make a mistake which may mean your Slice won't boot).

Using pv-grub to run custom kernels overview

While pv-grub is in beta we ask that you contact support, via the Slicemanager, so we can enable your Slice to run your kernel - you will need to configure your Slice before we switch it for you. We will be happy to assist you through the process.

As soon as it comes out of beta, you will be able to select the pv-grub option from the kernel menu inside of the Slicemanager.

If you have any questions or concerns our support team is always available in SliceChat or via email at support@slicehost.com.

UPDATE 10/28: Added Gentoo 10.1 to the list of supported distributions.