Auto restart after kernel panic?

[monktus]

I've been getting regular kernal panics caused by the driver for my PCI ADSL modem. Unfortunately the manufacturer hasn't replied to me but I was wondering if, in the meantime, there was a way of automatically restarting after a panic? Getting panics is still annoying but if the machine would restart itself and I could get PPPoE to connect automatically too, then I wouldn't get so much downtime (2 PCs share the connection). Thanks for any suggestions.

Cheers,
Craig

 

[ElDiabloConCaca]

Machines restart by issuing a reset command to the appropriate part of the computer. How you issue this command can take two forms:

Restarting the way the Finder does it is software controlled, and since the kernel has panicked, there's no software control anymore, so restarting via that method won't work.

Restarting via the buttons on the front of the machine issues a hardware interrupt -- different from a software restart, but issuing the same reset command to the machine. Downside is that you have to physically press a button.

Unfortunately, in times of a kernel panic, the only way to restart is via user intervention.

 

[fryke]

Strangely, Apple _seems_ to be able to control _how_ a kernel panic looks like... Maybe they _could_ implement an auto-writemessages to some log and autoreboot into that code? I'm not entirely sure that there needs to be hardware-based intervention...

But as of now, yes there's no way around for us users.