TITLE
    Mac OS X Public Beta: How to Log a Kernel Panic
Article ID:
Created:
Modified: 		106079
11/29/00
12/7/00
TOPIC

    By recording the correct information during a kernel panic, you may provide useful feedback to Apple.

DISCUSSION

    What is a kernel panic? For a description, see:

    Article 106076: " Mac OS X Public Beta, Mac OS X Server: What is a Kernel Panic? "

    To log a kernel panic, follow these steps:

    1. Write down, type, or photograph the relevant information that appears on the screen.

    Several types of information may be relevant:
    • Any lines of text following "Backtrace:"
    • If "DSISR=," "DAR=," or "PC=" appears, any text and the numbers that follow them.
    • Any other text on the screen that seems unique. It is safe to ignore common instructions such as "To continue press c. To reboot press r."

    NOTE: Kernel panic information likely includes hexadecimal numbers, which can contain any alphanumeric character from 0-9 and from a-f. Hexadecimal numbers always start with "0x." A hexadecimal number looks like:
      0x000894c0

    Once the onscreen information has been recorded, it's best to just restart the computer as described in the Emergency Troubleshooting Handbook. Although there may be instructions on the screen for continuing, this is generally intended for software developers debugging their own programs.

    2. Record configuration information about the computer.

    You may get most of this information from the Apple System Profiler when the computer is operating normally.
    • Computer name or model number, including processor and processor speed. For example: Power Macintosh G3 (Blue and White), 300 MHz.
    • Information about the hard drive volume used as the startup disk. This should include the bus type (ATA, SCSI, or FireWire), bus number, device number, and volume format. Volume formats include Mac OS Standard (HFS), Mac OS Extended (HFS Plus), and Unix File System (UFS).
    • Information about any equipment that has been added to the computer. This includes added video cards, PCI or PCMCIA cards, additional drives, and any other hardware that did not come with the computer.
    • The amount of physical RAM in the computer.

    3. Document what was happening just before the kernel panic occurred.

    Were you installing Mac OS X Public Beta for the first time, running a third-party application, using the Internet, or restarting after the installation of some new hardware, for example? If you have the exact steps to reproduce a kernel panic, be sure to record them.

    4. Sending the information to Apple

    Mac OS X Public Beta users can give this information to Apple at:

    Public Feedback Database
    http://www.apple.com/macosx/beta/feedback.html

Document Information
Product Area: Mac OS System Software
Category: Mac OS X
Sub Category: General Topics

Copyright © 2000 Apple Computer, Inc. All rights reserved.