systemtap in -backports pocket?

[Dan Streetman]

Hi Frank,

The systemtap package is one that is particularly vulnerable to
changes in the kernel, and the older versions in stable releases
frequently see breakage with kernel updates or even when using a HWE
kernel, as you know.

I don't personally use systemtap very often, but in talking to
coworkers my understanding is the 'latest' systemtap version can
almost always handle 'any' kernel that was previously released (i.e.
backwards compatible with kernels), but the systemtap library modules
may not be backwards compatible, so SRU'ing the latest systemtap might
get it working with different kernels but might also break user custom
modules. Is that accurate?

If so, maybe systemtap would be a good candidate for adding to the
-backports pocket; since it's an opt-in pocket, users would have an
option of getting the latest working systemtap on stable releases.

This isn't a pre-approved notice, so if you think it's a good idea
(meaning you would be the one preparing and uploading the backports),
we (the backports team) can have a bit more discussion to make sure we
agree it's appropriate. I wanted to check with you first since if
nobody is interested in owning the backports, there's no need for the
backports team to worry about it :)

Thanks!