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[jiaweihuo]

I am using ubuntu 12.04 and experienced several times of kernel panic. The attachment is some information from /var/log/kern.log. And the panic happened at about 13:52:30. I was using Linux kernel 3.2.0.31.34 at that time. Now I have upgraded to 3.3.6-030306. Is there anything I can do about it except reporting to bugs.launchpad.net? Thanks.

[Mark Greaves (PCNetSpec)]

Is this in the middle of booting, after booting, or during a suspend/hibernate ?

As the only thing I can see around that time is a bunch of PM (power management) events .. that at first trying to put your PC to sleep.

Are you SURE it's a kernel panic .. and not just  your PC entering sleep/hibernation ? .. what makes you think it's a kernel panic ?

If this is a Laptop, can you give the make and model.

If it's a desktop, can you provide the motherboard make/model

[jiaweihuo]

The system breaks down after booting. I think that it is a kernel panic because the Caps Lock blinked. I use google to find that this is an indication of kernel panic. Maybe I am wrong. It is a laptop and the model is Fujitsu LH772.

On the other hand, if it is not a panic, how can I deal with it? Thanks.

[Mark Greaves (PCNetSpec)]

You are probably correct .. a kernel panic is usually indicated by Caps Lock and Scroll Lock flashing in sync, but as most laptops don't have a Scroll Lock light I guess it would just display a flashing Caps Lock.

Does it do this from a LiveCD .. or only from your hard drive install ?

Has it done it since the kernel upgrade ?

are you EVER entering sleep/hibernation ?

Meanwhile .. I'll see if I can find any known issues with your laptop and Ubuntu

[EDIT]

Have you ever run ANY Linux distro that DIDN'T do this on this laptop .. if so which ?

Was this an upgrade, or a fresh install ?

[jiaweihuo]

Yes, I saw Caps Lock and Scroll Lock flashing.

Does it do this from a LiveCD .. or only from your hard drive install ?

I don't understand the question. The panic happened when I was using the system.

I have experienced two times of the panic. The first time happened when I was using "Page Up" and "Page Down" in Mendeleydesktop. The second time happened when I was doing nothing.

Has it done it since the kernel upgrade ?

Yes. But it is hard to say, because I bought the computer about one month ago and just upgraded the kernel about two weeks ago.

are you EVER entering sleep/hibernation ?

No, never.

Have you ever run ANY Linux distro that DIDN'T do this on this laptop .. if so which ?
Was this an upgrade, or a fresh install ?

Ubuntu is the first linux system in the laptop. And I first installed Ubuntu 10.04 then upgraded to 12.04.

I have reported the bug in

https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux/+bug/1064950

[Mark Greaves (PCNetSpec)]

OK .. kernel panics are notoriously hard to troubleshoot as it's unlikely anything will be left in the logs .. you *may* be able to work it out by seeing the last thing that occurred before the lockup, but not necessarily.

Intermittent problems can be even harder to diagnose.

You say you NEVER use suspend/hibernatoin, yet your log file is apparently showing entries for a suspend/resume

you say (on one occasion) it happened after hitting the page up/down keys .. your log appears to be showing evbug messages .. which are input event messages, but not necessarily errors.

As ths was an "Upgrade" rather than a fresh install .. I'd like you to create a LiveUSB stick and use that for a while (instead of your hard drive installation .. to see if you still get the kernel panics .. if not, it's likely to be something caused by upgrading rather than doing a fresh install.

I can find NO issues with your laptop being able to run 12.04 .. so this is likely either hardware related, or an issue with your setup .. which is why I'd like to see if it happens with a fresh install of 12.04 to a LiveUSB.

Have you got a 2GB (or larger) USB  stick ? .. and do you know how to create a 12.04 LiveUSB with persistence ?

[jiaweihuo]

You say you NEVER use sleep/hibernatoin, yet your log file is apparently showing entries for a sleep/resume

I mean I have never used sleep before the panic. As the panic happened, I have to restart manually.

Have you got a 2GB (or larger) USB  stick ? .. and do you know how to create a 12.04 LiveUSB with persistence ?

I know how to create a LiveUSB, but I do not have a 2GB USB stick currently. But I have a LiveCD Ubuntu 12.04 currently. Is it OK?
But how can I test, since the panic just happened occasionally, not always?

[Mark Greaves (PCNetSpec)]

A LiveCD will work, but you'll not be able to save anything, or get your wireless card working .. so will be a pain to use for the extended period that it will take to test(as it's an inermittent problem).

A LiveUSB will be a better idea.



Your other option would be to just do a fresh install of 12.04



[EDIT]

Also the log file you sent CLEARLY shows a ton of suspend/resume events from around the time you said it threw the kernel panic .. so I'm wondering if it's attempting to go to sleep for some unknown reason

[jiaweihuo]

Thanks for you advice.

Also the log file you sent CLEARLY shows a ton of suspend/resume events from around the time you said it threw the kernel panic .. so I'm wondering if it's attempting to go to sleep for some unknown reason

Yes, I notice this too. But I mean I never pressed the resume button or forced it to resume. So I am wondering what cause the attempt to go to sleep if it is not a panic.

[Mark Greaves (PCNetSpec)]

So am I

It could be an ACPI problem .. disableing ACPI might fix it, but would likely introduce other issues .. so I'd rather find out if it works from a fresh install (or LiveUSB) first.

[EDIT]

I *DO* think it's a panic .. but I'm wondering if the kernel panic is being caused by the unexpected suspend attempt.

[jiaweihuo]

OK, I can test it later when I have a Live USB.

[Mark Greaves (PCNetSpec)]

My point is, you need to be methodical about troubleshooting this .. ie. attempt to rule things out.

So first rule out it just being your particular setup by trying 12.04 from a LiveUSB.

If it still throws a panic from a LiveUSB, at least we know it's not your particular HDD install .. if it doesn't throw a panic from the LiveUSB, a fresh install of 12.04 will *probably* fix it (unless of course it's a problem with the HDD).