I'm a Unix newbie and sorry if this sounds like a stupid question :) Well, I just got a new dedicated server and it's installed with RedHat 7.1 and an older kernel as follows:

Linux version 2.4.7-10 (bhcompile@stripples.devel.redhat.com) (gcc version 2.96 20000731 (Red Hat Linux 7.1 2.96-98))

Which one is better between RedHat Linux 7.1 and 7.2? And is it really necessary to always use to the latest stable kernel (currently 2.4.17)? I heard that RedHat 7.2 is less stable than 7.1 and occassionally caused hardware stops working (NIC mainly). Is this true?

I'm looking for an optimum performance, stability, and security on the box. So what is your opinion? Should I upgrade to RedHat 7.2 with the latest kernel or not?

Thanks in advance!

It depends if you need something that is in 7.2 and not in 7.1.. Alot of people are still using 6.2 from what I have seen. As long as you keep your packages updated and/or patched you can pretty much run any version you like unless as stated above you need something specific in a particular newer version..

The same applies to the kernels unless there are exploits or security issues.. We have upgraded from 6.2 to 7.1 about 4 months ago and have no plans to go to 7.2 unless someone wants a dedicated with it on.

RedHat *.2 releases are usually very high quality. I've run 4.2, 5.2, 6.2, and some 7.2 without significant problem. However their *.0 version are somewhat flaky, 6.0 and 7.0 are a mess. The *.1 releases are in between.

In your case, looking back to past experiences, I would choose 7.2.

Thanks for the responses, much appreciated.