Linux freezing with kernel "2.6.31.8-0.1-desktop"

after migrating from openSUSE-11.1 to openSUSE-11.2
together with a few further online updates
including a kernel upgrade to 2.6.31.8-0.1-desktop,
my system started freezing a couple of times for two days.

I made up my mind googling for "linux freeze",
found a hint saying, that 2.6.31.8 causes trouble,
fell back to 2.6.31.5-0.1-desktop,
"et voila": the problem is gone.
What a relief!

I hope, this article helps others in similar situations.

Update:
Well, actually 2.6.31.5-0.1 didn't really change the situation.
I only thought so for a short while.
I am sorry, I gave that impression.
But after switching off WiFi, communicating through eth0 has helped since,
my system has not frozen sice.
Of course I would like to use WiFi again very soon.

Update (2010-02-09):
Right now I have an "uptime" of 2:30 hours with 2.6.31.12-0.1 (that I downloaded from openSUSE.org today), connected to my router through WiFi, which seemed to freeze that version of the kernel, that made me start this article.

Update (2010-02-10):
I actually did not expect this change to happen in the near future at all,
but now it looks, as if I will no longer need to "rmmod ath9k" (remove my wifi kernel module) and "modprobe ath9k" (reload it) again.

The wifi connection to the access point resp. "wireless router" got lost, as I had to power off/on that device, and before I could remove that kernel module and load it again, the connection already worked again as with any other OS, I have around, and as anybody would actually expect.

Very nice.
My Linux has not frozen for almost 18 hours,
its wifi connection started resynchronising by itself,
what more can I expect ...