unionfs/aufs/overlayfs and misc. patches

[gseaman]

I am learning to build kernel rpms for PCLinuxOS. I've got it all figured out for making adaptations to current kernels. My question is about building newer kernels.
1. Where do I look for patches if I were to create a 3.3 or 3.4 kernel?
2. PCLinuxOS uses unionfs for running a livecd or liveusb. The most current patch is for 3.3rc3, which was released in February. If this patch is not updated, can aufs or overlayfs be used as a replacement?

Galen

I've experimented with the pf-kernel and zen-kernel. They each add and test miscellaneous desktop enhancement and hardware patches. May be a good starting point, but the individual patches would need testing, I think.

[Archie]

Heya Galen,

I received an email from AS and apparently his email to you was undelivered. He asked me to forward it to you. I did to both address that I know of. I will however post much of the contents of his email as credit to our friend's help and assistance.

As far as I have understood, Linus was planning to merge overlayfs
mainstream as of 3.4-rc1, then I don't know what happened but
overlayfs is not included in kernel source.

That said, unionfs look like abandoned, latest source patches are here:
http://download.filesystems.org/unionfs/unionfs-2.x-latest/

I have successfully used unionfs up to kernel 3.2.23, then I switched to
3.4.x but expect that the 3.2.2 patch will work with latest 3.2.26 kernel.

kernel 3.3.8 is dead now, marked EOL: http://www.kernel.org/
so I would not spend time around, however I can say that I have
successfully used unionfs patch (3.3.0-rc3) on 3.3.x, including
kernel 3.3.8.

kernel 3.4.x worked for some time with the same 3.3.0-rc3 patch,
up to 3.4.3 IIRC, then require a further patch to build with
kernel 3.4.6 and or kernel 3.4.7:
please find attached the two consecutive patches needed to add unionfs
to kernel 3.4.7: they will not work with the newer kernel 3.4.8.

As for aufs and overlayfs, they are available from their respective git
repos, but please keep in mind that switching from unionfs to aufs or
overlayfs will require some changes in mylivecd scripts.

The attachment patches are on the email I forwarded to you. And thank you, AS.

[gseaman]

Thank you, Archie and AS. I haven't check my email today, but if his mail is not getting through, I will look into that problem.
As far as the topic of this post, I had found some of what AS reports and have successfully patched a 3.4.7 kernel with unionfs, but it looks dead after that. If overlayfs is going into the kernel there is no more need for it. I read that overlayfs is a smaller and simpler design that accomplish the same thing, but at this time it is not a simple patch. I will continue working with the 3.4.7 kernel and submit for testing soon, but I will also start looking at what is needed to change mylivecd to use overlyfs. Thanks.

Galen