NAME    [Toc]    [Back]

     panic - Bring down system on fatal error

SYNOPSIS    [Toc]    [Back]

     #include <sys/types.h>
     #include <sys/systm.h>

     void
     panic(const char *fmt, ...);

DESCRIPTION    [Toc]    [Back]

     The panic() function terminates the NetBSD system.  The message fmt is a
     printf(3) style format string which is printed to the console and saved
     in the variable panicstr for later retrieval via core dump inspection.

     If a kernel debugger is installed, control is passed to it after the message
 is printed. If the kernel debugger is ddb(4), control is only passed
     if the value of the ddb.onpanic sysctl(3) is ``1'', otherwise, a ddb(4)
     -specific function is used to print the kernel stack trace, and then control
 returns to panic().

     If control remains in panic(), an attempt is made to save an image of
     system memory on the configured dump device.

     If during the process of handling the panic, panic() is called again
     (from the filesystem synchronization routines, for example), the system
     is rebooted immediately without synchronizing any filesystems.

RETURN VALUES    [Toc]    [Back]

     The panic() function does not return.

SEE ALSO    [Toc]    [Back]

     sysctl(3), ddb(4), ipkdb(4), options(4), savecore(8), swapctl(8),
     sysctl(8)

BSD                              May 26, 2000                              BSD