is kernel 2.6.8-1.624 really 2.6.9rc3?

[Shadow Skill]

I was reading some of the documentation for kernel-2.6.8-1.598 and I read in the change log that it had been updated [only part of it possibly.] to 2.6.9 rc3 Now I am forced to use a custom kernel because of my need for ntfs read support, however there are certain issues with 2.6.8 kernels prior to .584 where my mouse will not be detected properly and the system will hang when trying to start eth0. .584 and up have far better behavior with my keyboard and I am wondering if I might have to try 2.6.9rc3 if I want to end my pain with my keyboard and mouse.

RedHats backporting of kernel features is a know issue. Many have critized them about, but they do it so you don't have to rebuild all your external drivers (that is if they enable binary compatibility in the kernel). Glad to see you got fc3t3 installed. Now for bug hunting.

[Shadow Skill]

heh im still using t2, there was no point in my going to t3, since most of the bugs of fc2 I encountered where adressed by test 2

You should just update your system via up2date. it will be the equivaiant if fc3t3.

[LordMorgul]

-> rpm -q --changelog kernel-2.6.8-1.610 | head
* Tue Oct 12 2004 Dave Jones <davej@redhat.com>

- Rebase to 2.6.9-rc4-bk1

As you can see, the kernel is quite new. The newer kernel (-1.624) is 'newer', but cannot be used due to a bug (see bugzilla). Do not use 624, however the 610 kernel is much newer than 2.6.9-rc3, and is built very closely from this source release, there are a total of 52 patches applied to the kernel source, many of them originating from much earlier kernel sources (2.6.0-x) that Redhat has been using for a long period (for instance Patch515: linux-2.6.0-exec-shield.patch) or which are for specific issues in building the kernel on various architectures.

The kernel is numbered in 2.6.8-x because 2.6.9 is not released (officially) and therefore a kernel should not be numbered 2.6.9. Redhat has been doing that for millennia.