[ale] Kernel panic

[Joe Knapka]

Geoffrey wrote:

>Jeff Hubbs wrote:
>  
>
>>That's not a kernel panic - kernel panics, as a rule, say "kernel panic!"
>>    
>>
>
>That's interesting, I've never heard that.  Although, I didn't think you 
>got an Oops if it wasn't a kernel panic.
>
>  
>
A kernel panic invariably printks the words "Kernel panic:" on the 
console.  The difference
between a "panic" and an "oops" is that a panic is a situation that is 
forseen, but which we
cannot deal with, such as not being able to free any RAM, or not being 
able to mount
the root filesystem. Both of those are situations that kernel developers 
can forsee and
reasonably plan for, even if the plan is just to say, "screw this, I 
give up". OTOH an
"oops" is something really horrid that should never happen if the 
universe is in good
health, like kernel data structures being corrupt.  In general an oops 
is more cause for
concern than a panic, I'd say.

-- JK