Today’s operating systems are stable enough that we don’t have to deal with serious bugs. However, that does not mean that from time to time, we use the operating system that we use, we encounter different problems that not only block the PC, but also force it to restart. We are talking, for example, about the mythical blue screen of Windows, or its equivalent in Linux, the Kernel Panic .
The Kernel, or kernel, is the most important part of Linux . This is in charge of providing the system with all the basic services for all the essential parts of the operating system. It is the “engine” thanks to which the system can boot, load the drivers, and work. It is in charge of managing the system memory, the times of the processes, controlling the calls to the CPU and allowing the hardware to have access to the hardware, among many other functions.
This kernel should run like a Swiss watch. The problem is that when it doesn’t, that’s when we run into all sorts of problems, which can range from performance hits to complete system crashes, including Kernel Panics.
Why can a Kernel Panic appear?
The reasons why we can find this error are very varied. However, there are some very common causes that are almost always responsible for these errors.
- Bad drivers . The Linux kernel has its own drivers, which are loaded at startup so that the hardware can work. However, it also allows us to install our own drivers in case the manufacturer has provided theirs privately (for example, NVIDIA drivers). If there is a problem with these drivers, and they are installed wrong on the system, when trying to start we will find this critical error.
- Memory problems . Another reason why we can find this problem is because we have a memory problem. These problems can be of many types. For example, the problem may be that the RAM memory is damaged and returns incorrect data to the PC. Also this error can appear because we are running Linux with very little free memory, and if it becomes overloaded, it is easy for essential system information to be deleted to open a program (for example), and then everything collapses.
- Bugs and errors . Of course, it doesn’t always have to be our problem. It is also possible that this error appears due to an error or bug in the distro that we use. And even in the Kernel itself. This happens, for example, when we use the betas or the development versions of the distros, or we manually update the Kernel in our distro to a version that is not completely debugged. Or the error may also be in a program we are trying to run and for whatever reason it causes the system to crash.
Be that as it may, almost always, after a restart, our Linux should work normally again.