kernel panic with x86 kernel on AMD system with 8 cores or more in a CPU package

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Environment

SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11

Situation

x86 architecture (32 bit) only

When booting a 32 bit kernel on an AMD system with 8 cores or more in a CPU package (e.g. during installation), the boot process stopps with the following error message:

Error: Kernel panic - not syncing: Boot APIC ID in local APIC unexpected (16 vs 0)

The x86_64 version of SLES 11 is not affected by this problem.

Resolution

The problem can be solved by adding apic=bigsmp as a boot parameter.

Additional Information

If other APIC related symptoms on SLES11 x86 systems (systems with a lot of cores) are experienced, it would be also worth trying the above boot parameter.

The error might be fixed in a future Service Pack.

Disclaimer

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