[aclug-L] Re: kernel panic question

[Tom Hull <thull@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Jonathan Hall wrote:
> 
> Kernel panics often (but not always) will lock the computer--it depends on
> the sevarity of the problem... or more accurately "where" the problem
> happened.

Can you explain to us how a kernel panic -- i.e., a call to panic() in
kernel/panic.c -- can allow the kernel to continue running? It looks to
me like either panic() forces a reboot after a timeout, or spins forever.
Am I missing something?

> If it happened in a non-critical process, it probably won't lock the system.

Kernel panics happen in the kernel.

> A kernel panic will usually happen as the result of a bug in the kernel
> or hardware failure... I've had kernel panics happen with bad network cards,
> bad RAM, overheating CPU, bad hard disk, etc...
> 
> I've never had it happen as the result of a kernel bug, AFAIK (altho I have
> had it happen as the result of some third-party kernel module bugs)....
> 'course if you're running a development kernel, you're more likely to run
> into kernel panics as a direct result of kernel bugs, too :-)

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 *  Tom Hull * thull@xxxxxxxxxxx * http://www.ocston.org/~thull/
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