Panic while building XFree86

[Dan Foster]

Hot Diggety! Tim Wojtulewicz was rumored to have wrote:
>
> I've been trying to compile XFree86 4.0.1 recently (tried 4 times
> already) and my computer keeps throwing kernel panics whenever I do
> so.  It usually happens after the compile has been going for a while.
> I think it has something to do with the fan coming/not coming on, but

Sounds exactly like it. Run, don't walk, and fix that :)

kernel panics due to compiler failure tend to indicate either a flaky
motherboard (found one with substandard traces, VRM, etc) or more commonly,
an overheated CPU; fan failure is a real common cause for this. Tends to
get exercised with compiling large stuff - kernel, XFree86, mozilla, etc
as it heats up and experiences bit flips. (hence, invalid locations,
instruction pointer running in wrong places, insta-crash)

This isn't a Linux specific problem per se; I've seen it with BSD boxes, too.

-Dan

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