kernel panic on Fedora 8 - a serious bug!

[Todd Denniston]

Valent Turkovic wrote, On 02/21/2008 06:44 AM:
> On Wed, Feb 20, 2008 at 4:26 PM, Jim van Wel <jim at coolzero.info> wrote:
>> Hi there,
>>
>>
>>  > How do I capture it? My desktop is frozen and I can't open the cli.
>>
>>  First try to get in a console with CTRL + ALT + F1 to see if your X is
>>  just frozen and not the whole system. Because how could you know it's
>>  really a kernel panic. If so, sometimes it's somewhere in
>>  /var/log/messages if you are lucky. If not, disable the NetworkManager for
>>  now and try to debug like loading and unloading the modules by hand. For
>>  instance:
>>
>>  rmmod modulename
>>  modprobe modulename
>>
>>  and see if it crashes.
>>
>>  Greetings,
>>  Jim.
> 
> My caps lock led i blinking and everything is frozen... not even
> CTRL-ALT-F1 is working. I believe this is a kernel panic.
> 
> I'll think it is not iwl3945 module, because it is loaded before gone
> is starting... maybe it is something in NetworkManager or in some way
> connected with AP using WPA encryption...
> 
> Valent.
> 
> 
> 

Can you cause the fault by executing command line utilities?

if you can then:
boot in run level 3
	cp /etc/inittab /etc/inittab.rl5
	edit /etc/inittab to change the line:
	id:5:initdefault:
	to
	id:3:initdefault:
	then reboot the machine.
	(when you get done with the test,
	return this to the original setting)
	[others may tell you how to do this with out
	editing the file, I don't remember how to do it
	reliably with out editing the file.]
login (on the command line)
execute the utilities that cause the fault.
hopefully you can now see the kernel telling you what went wrong.
You did have a pencil & pad of paper or digital camera handy did you not?

If you can't cause the fault with command line utilities, but have another 
computer that you can host the display to (`ssh -X user at brakingmachine`), then 
you can do the above procedure, but execute the utilities that cause the fault 
while physically at the other computer.

reason for going to run level 3: no X to obscure the console when the kernel 
burps up an OOPs or Panic, AND for some it is easier than finding another 
computer to string a serial cable to or even an appropriate serial cable. (and 
on some new computers there is no RS232 port anymore.)


-- 
Todd Denniston
Crane Division, Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC Crane)
Harnessing the Power of Technology for the Warfighter