Abstract
- A protective operation by the kernel. It happens where there are fatal errors that the kernel can’t safely recover from
- The kernel protects the system by halting everything and can only be recovered with reboot. This avoid the risk of data corruption when kernel running in an unstable state
Root cause
Usually triggered by serious bugs in kernel code, faulty drivers, bad memory, or hardware issues.
Info
In Linux/Unix, you’ll see “Kernel panic: …” with debug info.
In macOS, you get the “You need to restart your computer” screen.
In Windows, the analogous thing is the Stop Error (BSOD).