Kernel panic: Is Parallels the cause?

T

troyburns

Junior Member
I have gotten several kernel panics since installing Parallels. The kernel panic seems to happen following either network instensive use or processor instensive use.

I've run the Rember/memtest and the Apple Hardware Test to ensure that the problem is not hardware related. Everything checks out fine.

Any clues as to what is happening?

System details and panic.log info below.

System details:
MacBook Pro
OS 10.4.7
2GB RAM

Parallels: Build 1848

Guest OS: Win XP Home SP2

panic.log

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Sun Jul 23 23:32:03 2006
panic(cpu 0 caller 0x0034FD89): mbuf address out of range 0x6208
Backtrace, Format - Frame : Return Address (4 potential args on stack)
0x25023dc4 : 0x128b5e (0x3bc46c 0x25023de8 0x131bbc 0x0)
0x25023e04 : 0x34fd89 (0x3dbeb8 0x6208 0x0 0x4c16804)
0x25023e24 : 0x35235f (0x1 0x10 0x25023e44 0x18fe1c)
0x25023e54 : 0x33fcab (ox3e8 0x1 0x1 0x1)
0x25023e84 : 0x8d1701 (0x36b39f00 0x3e8 0x1 0x1)
0x25023f34 : 0x8d1844 (0x0 0x1 0x48afc0 0x0)
0x25023f54 : 0x1f7650 (0x3fb8180 0x3b4b804 0x2 0x25023fb0)
0x25023fa4 : 0x1f7834 (0x3b4b804 0x36b39f00 0x36b5381a 0x1)
0x25023fd4 : 0x197b19 (0x0 0x0 0x35063b8 0x4a2000) Backtrace terminated-invalid frame pointer 0x0
Kernel loadable modules in backtrace (with dependencies):
com.parallels.kext.Pvsnet(2.2)@0x8cf000

Kernel version:
Darwin Kernel Version 8.7.1: Wed Jun 7 16:19:56 PDT 2006; root::xnu-792.9.72.obj~2/RELEASE_I386

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Anything that happens on an MBP only with intensive use would lead me to suspect over temperature as the problem. Install the CoreDuotemp application (google it) and watch processor temp. Apple laptops have been notorious for overheating from the ibook days. A fan directed against the underside of the machine works wonders. Laptop platforms with built in fans have been on the market for years -- an indication that this isn't an uncommon problem.
 
For anyone interested in this thread, it turns out that Parallels is not part of the problem at all. I was able to get my MacBook Pro to kernel panic with nothing running other than a file transfer. That clearly means it's not a Parallels issue.

I think this thread over on the Apple fourms describes the issue (in lengthy detail):

http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=389962

In short, if you are using a MacBook Pro and a non-Apple wireless router, you may experience kernel panics when transferring data wirelessly. The suspected workarounds include: getting an Apple Extreme router or when using a third-party router transferring/downloading the data/files using an ethernet connection (and not an Airport one).
 
Interesting... I have a Belkin Pre-N router I use at home, and fortunately I've never had a kernel panic on my MBP. It seems like others have noticed this problem that you are having as well... so I guess I consider myself lucky.
 
We have a Belkin 54g router (forgot the model number but got it about 2.x years ago) and with many PCs and PowerPC, and no problem from the MBP or for the MBP either. Interesting.
 
That sounds a bit strange...

I've used my Macbook (and powerbook before this) on MANY routers... in coffee shops, at my house (Netgear), at my university (mostly Cisco, but others are there also), and at my parents place (Linksys and Bay Networks).

I **really** doubt it has anything to do with your router. The forum you linked to shows that some people resolved their issue down to a bad batch of airport cards or logic boards on MBP's, another person found out it was buggy firewall software in his VPN.

Here is a quote from the forum you linked to:

As I told the Apple support person I spoke with, who wanted me to take my MBP to an Apple service center to test using their router (presumably an Apple Airport Extreme router), testing with more than the two different branded (SMC and Netgear), different speed (802.11b and 802.11g) wireless routers in my house seemed pointless. I want my MBP to work with more than just one or a couple of brands of routers. (I had also tested turning off all encryption and using any of a wide variety of router settings. All tests still resulted in kernel panics when downloading files over the wireless network.)

After I said that, there was a pause and then a repair was arranged. The repair fixed the problem completely. I have not had a kernel panic since.

This is a hardware problem. Tinkering with router settings may help narrow some things down, but ultimately, at least in most cases, the solution is a hardware fix, which appears to be a logic board replacement.
Click to expand...
 
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After dealing with AppleCare support they decided that it is a hardware issue. So, the machine is being sent back for either a new Airport card and/or new logic board.

Talking with the AppleCare rep, he stated that it doesn't matter what router is used. The kernel panic can occur with Airport Extremes, too.
 
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