Kernel Null Pointer Dereference Error
 

Hello once again all.

Ran into some recent problems with my server and after some head scratching thought maybe I should post before I end up making things worse:>

None the less the last few weeks I have been getting these kernel null pointer errors. The only thing that brought them to my attention to be honest was an employee was complaining that she sent her daughter one email and she would receive 30 or so of the same. I had updated GLIBC yesterday in process of updating sendmail at which time I started to see this less. Here is what I have currently:

Apr 13 15:42:26 gator kernel: Code: 8b 48 08 8d 71 74 ac ae 75 08 84 c0 75 f8 31 c0 eb 04 19 c0
Apr 13 15:42:28 gator kernel: <1>Unable to handle kernel NULL pointer dereference at virtual address 00000008
Apr 13 15:42:28 gator kernel: printing eip:
Apr 13 15:42:28 gator kernel: f9ce993c
Apr 13 15:42:28 gator kernel: *pde = 00000000
Apr 13 15:42:28 gator kernel: Oops: 0000 [#42]
Apr 13 15:42:28 gator kernel: SMP
Apr 13 15:42:28 gator kernel: Modules linked in: fzvusm
Apr 13 15:42:28 gator kernel: CPU: 1
Apr 13 15:42:28 gator kernel: EIP: 0060:[<f9ce993c>] Not tainted
Apr 13 15:42:28 gator kernel: EFLAGS: 00010286 (2.6.7)
Apr 13 15:42:28 gator kernel: EIP is at esFichero+0x3c/0x110 [fzvusm]
Apr 13 15:42:28 gator kernel: eax: 00000000 ebx: df70a000 ecx: 00000000 edx: f9ceca00
Apr 13 15:42:28 gator kernel: esi: 00000000 edi: f9ceca40 ebp: 00000009 esp: df70af90
Apr 13 15:42:28 gator kernel: ds: 007b es: 007b ss: 0068
Apr 13 15:42:28 gator kernel: Process sendmail (pid: 665, threadinfo=df70a000 task=f092f460)
Apr 13 15:42:28 gator kernel: Stack: 00000025 081724a8 00000009 df70a000 f9ce8bf7 00000009 f9ceca00 00000000
Apr 13 15:42:28 gator kernel: c015664b 00000009 081595d8 081595d8 c010401f 00000009 081724a8 00000025
Apr 13 15:42:28 gator kernel: 081595d8 081595d8 00000025 00000004 0000007b 0000007b 00000004 4031d228
Apr 13 15:42:28 gator kernel: Call Trace:
Apr 13 15:42:28 gator kernel: [<f9ce8bf7>] modWrite+0x57/0x80 [fzvusm]
Apr 13 15:42:28 gator kernel: [<c015664b>] sys_close+0x5b/0x70
Apr 13 15:42:28 gator kernel: [<c010401f>] syscall_call+0x7/0xb
Apr 13 15:42:28 gator kernel:
Apr 13 15:42:28 gator kernel: Code: 8b 48 08 8d 71 74 ac ae 75 08 84 c0 75 f8 31 c0 eb 04 19 c0

And I get these too, but sendmail isn't mentioned........
Apr 13 15:38:17 gator kernel: <1>Unable to handle kernel NULL pointer dereference at virtual address 00000008
Apr 13 15:38:17 gator kernel: printing eip:
Apr 13 15:38:17 gator kernel: f9ce993c
Apr 13 15:38:17 gator kernel: *pde = 00000000
Apr 13 15:38:17 gator kernel: Oops: 0000 [#40]
Apr 13 15:38:17 gator kernel: SMP
Apr 13 15:38:17 gator kernel: Modules linked in: fzvusm
Apr 13 15:38:17 gator kernel: CPU: 1
Apr 13 15:38:17 gator kernel: EIP: 0060:[<f9ce993c>] Not tainted
Apr 13 15:38:17 gator kernel: EFLAGS: 00010286 (2.6.7)
Apr 13 15:38:17 gator kernel: EIP is at esFichero+0x3c/0x110 [fzvusm]
Apr 13 15:38:17 gator kernel: eax: 00000000 ebx: ea2cb000 ecx: 00000000 edx: f9ceca00
Apr 13 15:38:17 gator kernel: esi: 00000000 edi: f9ceca40 ebp: 00000009 esp: ea2cbf90
Apr 13 15:38:17 gator kernel: ds: 007b es: 007b ss: 0068
Apr 13 15:38:17 gator kernel: Process sendmail (pid: 31001, threadinfo=ea2cb000 task=cf52d1e0)
Apr 13 15:38:17 gator kernel: Stack: 00000025 08172558 00000009 ea2cb000 f9ce8bf7 00000009 f9ceca00 00000000
Apr 13 15:38:17 gator kernel: c015664b 00000009 081641d0 081641d0 c010401f 00000009 08172558 00000025
Apr 13 15:38:17 gator kernel: 081641d0 081641d0 00000025 00000004 0000007b 0000007b 00000004 4031d228
Apr 13 15:38:17 gator kernel: Call Trace:
Apr 13 15:38:17 gator kernel: [<f9ce8bf7>] modWrite+0x57/0x80 [fzvusm]
Apr 13 15:38:17 gator kernel: [<c015664b>] sys_close+0x5b/0x70
Apr 13 15:38:17 gator kernel: [<c010401f>] syscall_call+0x7/0xb
Apr 13 15:38:17 gator kernel:
Apr 13 15:38:17 gator kernel: Code: 8b 48 08 8d 71 74 ac ae 75 08 84 c0 75 f8 31 c0 eb 04 19 c0

I was thinking about updating sendmail to 8.13.3 (running 8.13.1 now) or going back to 8.12.11 (don't remember having this problem when I was running that.)

I am currently running Slackware 10.0 with 2.6.7 kernel, BTW.

Anyone have any ideas? Did a search yesterday and wasn't able to find anything that really made sense or seemed to apply to this.

Thanks a head of time.
-Smillie

which version of GLIBC ? (from which to which)

You may try put in the script that starts sendmail
(x, y may needs some trial and error and dependents on your older glibc's version)

Glibc 2.3.2 and updated to 2.3.4

I had this problem with Sendmail before I updated GLIBC though. I was only updating it to 2.3.4 because that is what Sendmail 8.13.3 required.

-Smillie

I finally got everyone off the server long enough to upgrade Sendmail yet again. I am now running Sendmail 8.13.3 (got the packaged from slackware.com out of the 10.1 bin) and I am still having the exact same problem as above. At this point I have no idea where to go from here. I have though about recompiling the kernel (been running the same one for over a year now without incident until now) but wanted to ask one more time if anyone else had a clue about what my problem could be.

I have noticed that this only happens when someone sends an email to multiple users (greater then 5) who are not on our system. Basically those messages are always shown as status "Sending" and if they are in the que and tell sendmail to force deliver it will give me these errors.

Thanks a head of time to anyone who posts.
-Smillie