Stubborn Kernel Panic, even with install Disc

[funckdren]

I'm having trouble with a Nehalem Mac Pro -- 2.93 GHz 8-core with 24 GB of OWC RAM. I need to install a fresh copy of Snow Leopard on one of my spare internal disks (it needs to be OS 10.6.3 to run some video editing software). When I try to boot from my Snow Leopard DVD, I get a kernel panic within a minute or two before I even get to the installer.

I know the install disc is good -- it works on another Mac Mini I have in the shop. I have removed all peripherals and PCI cards and still get kernel panic booting the install DVD. The only PCI card I have not removed is my CalDigit RAID card because it is a really delicate install on the Nehalem model. I wanted to try and rule out other potential problems first.

I thought I could maybe get around this whole problem by using the Mac Mini at home to install Snow Leopard onto a new 32GB flash drive and then Carbon Copy clone that drive onto a drive inside my Nehalem Mac Pro, but I get a kernel panic when I boot the cloned drive.

Can anyone see anything in the kernel panic report? Incidentally, I have another drive in this same Mac Pro running Snow Leopard without trouble.

Thanks for any advice.



Here is the Report:


Interval Since Last Panic Report: 9380897 sec Panics Since Last Report: 13 Anonymous UUID: 440A99A9-6AB6-4A2A-83B9-103BE3146A91
Mon Jul 29 19:30:50 2013 panic(cpu 2 caller 0x5542c3): "complete() while dma active"@/SourceCache/xnu/xnu- 1504.3.12/iokit/Kernel/IOMemoryDescriptor.cpp:2232 Backtrace (CPU 2), Frame : Return Address (4 potential args on stack) 0x9bb8bb28 : 0x21b449 (0x5ce420 0x9bb8bb5c 0x2238a5 0x0) 0x9bb8bb78 : 0x5542c3 (0x5d7934 0x13 0x9bb8bba8 0x2a747d) 0x9bb8bbb8 : 0x8ec01579 (0x20d40780 0x0 0x0 0x20a96300) 0x9bb8bbf8 : 0x8ec04bba (0x97a98cf0 0x0 0x0 0x1000) 0x9bb8bc28 : 0x8ebfbb97 (0x20ad3414 0x0 0x1000 0x0) 0x9bb8bc98 : 0x8ec04bba (0x20a96300 0x20ad3400 0x0 0x1000) 0x9bb8bcc8 : 0x9d1943fc (0x9bb8bd10 0x0 0x1000 0x0)
0x9bb8bd38 : 0x9bb8bda8 : 0x9bb8bdc8 : 0x20d99000) 0x9bb8be28 : 0x20a4ae00) 0x9bb8be48 : 0x9bb8be98 : 0x9bb8bed8 : 0x9bb8bf08 : 0x5478e3 (0x9c759000 0x20928c00 0x1 0x29d54e) 0x9bb8bf58 : 0x546914 (0x20928c00 0x20c2dd20 0x9bb8bf78 0x1f0) 0x9bb8bf88 : 0x546d6e (0x20926140 0x20680000 0x31800 0x2a7e5f) 0x9bb8bfc8 : 0x29e6cc (0x20926140 0x0 0x10 0x206815e4)
Kernel Extensions in backtrace (with dependencies): com.apple.iokit.IOSCSIBlockCommandsDevice(2.6.2)@0x9d193000-
>0x9d1aafff dependency:
com.apple.iokit.IOSCSIArchitectureModelFamily(2.6.2)@0x9c2c4000 dependency: com.apple.iokit.IOStorageFamily(1.6)@0x8ebf3000
com.CalDigit.driver.HDPro(1.9.3)@0x9c47c000->0x9c483fff dependency: com.apple.iokit.IOPCIFamily(2.6)@0x8ea3b000 dependency: com.apple.iokit.IOSCSIParallelFamily(2.0.0)@0x9c34f000 dependency:
com.apple.iokit.IOSCSIArchitectureModelFamily(2.6.2)@0x9c2c4000 com.apple.iokit.IOSCSIArchitectureModelFamily(2.6.2)@0x9c2c4000-
>0x9c2ddfff com.apple.iokit.IOStorageFamily(1.6)@0x8ebf3000->0x8ec0afff
0x9d195833 (0x20e93a80 0x0 0x1000 0x0) 0x9d19568d (0x20a4a100 0x20d99000 0x0 0x8eae504c) 0x9c2d4446 (0x20d99000 0x20d99000 0x20d40784
0x9c2d772e (0x20a4a600 0x20d99000 0x20a8d680
0x9c2ca374 (0x20d99000 0x4 0x20a4ae00 0x5486da) 0x9c2ca7a7 (0x20a4a900 0x20d99000 0x2 0x0) 0x9c47fc89 (0x20a4a900 0x20d99000 0x2 0x0)
BSD process name corresponding to current thread: kernel_task
Mac OS version: 10D575
Kernel version: Darwin Kernel Version 10.3.0: Fri Feb 26 11:58:09 PST 2010; root:xnu- 1504.3.12~1/RELEASE_I386 System model name: MacPro4,1 (Mac-F221BEC8)
System uptime in nanoseconds: 79609606042 unloaded kexts: (none) loaded kexts:
com.CalDigit.driver.HDPro 1.9.3 com.apple.driver.DiskImages.SparseDiskImage 283 - last loaded 16224121887 com.apple.driver.DiskImages.ReadWriteDiskImage 283 com.apple.driver.DiskImages.UDIFDiskImage 283 com.apple.driver.DiskImages.RAMBackingStore 283 com.apple.driver.DiskImages.HTTPBackingStore 283 com.apple.driver.DiskImages.FileBackingStore 283 com.apple.iokit.SCSITaskUserClient 2.6.2 com.apple.BootCache 31 com.apple.driver.AppleUSBHub 3.9.6 com.apple.driver.AppleFWOHCI 4.5.7 com.apple.AppleFSCompression.AppleFSCompressionTypeZlib com.apple.iokit.IOAHCIBlockStorage 1.6.1 com.apple.driver.Intel82574L 1.0.4b1 com.apple.driver.AirPortBrcm43xx 422.91.27
com.apple.driver.AppleIntel8254XEthernet
2.1.1b7
1.0.0d1
104.3.0
com.apple.driver.AppleUSBEHCI com.apple.driver.AppleAHCIPort com.apple.driver.AppleEFINVRAM com.apple.driver.AppleUSBUHCI com.apple.driver.AppleRTC 1.3.1 com.apple.driver.AppleHPET com.apple.driver.AppleACPIButtons com.apple.driver.AppleSMBIOS 1.5 com.apple.driver.AppleACPIEC 1.3.2 com.apple.driver.AppleAPIC 1.4 com.apple.driver.AppleIntelCPUPowerManagementClient com.apple.security.sandbox 0 com.apple.security.quarantine 0 com.apple.nke.applicationfirewall 2.1.11
3.9.6 2.1.1 1.3.0 3.9.6
1.5
1.3.2
com.apple.driver.AppleIntelCPUPowerManagement 104.3.0 com.apple.driver.DiskImages.KernelBacked 283 com.apple.iokit.IOSCSIBlockCommandsDevice 2.6.2 com.apple.driver.BroadcomUSBBluetoothHCIController 2.3.1f4
com.apple.driver.AppleUSBBluetoothHCIController com.apple.iokit.IOBluetoothFamily2.3.1f4 com.apple.iokit.IOUSBHIDDriver 3.9.6 com.apple.driver.AppleUSBComposite 3.9.0 com.apple.iokit.IOSCSIMultimediaCommandsDevice com.apple.iokit.IOBDStorageFamily 1.6 com.apple.iokit.IODVDStorageFamily 1.6 com.apple.iokit.IOCDStorageFamily 1.6 com.apple.iokit.IOSCSIParallelFamily 2.0.0 com.apple.driver.XsanFilter 402.1 com.apple.iokit.IOFireWireFamily 4.2.6 com.apple.driver.AppleFileSystemDriver 2.0 com.apple.iokit.IOAHCISerialATAPI1.2.3 com.apple.iokit.IOSCSIArchitectureModelFamily 2.6.2 com.apple.iokit.IOUSBUserClient 3.9.6 com.apple.iokit.IO80211Family 310.6 com.apple.iokit.IONetworkingFamily 1.9 com.apple.iokit.IOAHCIFamily 2.0.3 com.apple.iokit.IOUSBFamily 3.9.6 com.apple.driver.AppleEFIRuntime1.3.0 com.apple.iokit.IOHIDFamily 1.6.2 com.apple.iokit.IOSMBusFamily 1.1 com.apple.security.TMSafetyNet 6 com.apple.kext.AppleMatch 1.0.0d1 com.apple.driver.DiskImages 283 com.apple.iokit.IOStorageFamily 1.6 com.apple.driver.AppleACPIPlatform 1.3.2 com.apple.iokit.IOPCIFamily2.6 com.apple.iokit.IOACPIFamily 1.3.0
2.3.1f4
2.6.2
Model: MacPro4,1, BootROM MP41.0081.B08, 8 processors, Quad-Core Intel Xeon, 2.93 GHz, 24 GB, SMC 1.39f5 Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GT 120, NVIDIA GeForce GT 120, PCIe, 512 MB Memory Module: global_name
AirPort: spairport_wireless_card_type_airport_extreme (0x14E4, 0x8E), Broadcom BCM43xx 1.0 (5.10.91.27) Bluetooth: Version 2.3.1f4, 2 service, 19 devices, 1 incoming serial ports Network Service: AirPort, AirPort, en2
PCI Card: pci-bridge, sppci_pci2pcibridge, Slot-3 PCI Card: pci-bridge, sppci_pci2pcibridge, Slot-3 PCI Card: CalDigit Disk Array, sppci_raid, Slot-3@4,14,0
PCI Card: NVIDIA GeForce GT 120, Display, Slot-1 Serial ATA Device: Hitachi HDS723020BLA642, 1.82 TB Serial ATA Device: HL-DT-ST DVD-RW GH41N, 7.54 GB Serial ATA Device: OWC Mercury Electra 3G SSD, 223.57 GB SCSI Device: SCSI Target Device @ 0 USB Device: BRCM2046 Hub, 0x0a5c (Broadcom Corp.), 0x4500, 0x5a100000 USB Device: Bluetooth USB Host Controller, 0x05ac (Apple Inc.), 0x8215, 0x5a110000 USB Device: Macally iKey, 0x2222, 0x0200, 0x3d100000 USB Device: USB Receiver, 0x046d (Logitech Inc.), 0xc52b, 0x3d120000 USB Device: Macally iKey, 0x2222, 0x0003, 0x3d110000 FireWire Device: built-in_hub, Up to 800 Mb/sec

 

[ActionableMango]

Is this a retail Snow Leopard disc or an installation disc included with a Mac Mini?

I ask because, in my experience, OS X install discs that come with the machine aren't meant to work on other machines, whereas the retail discs will install on any hardware the OS supports.

 

[funckdren]

Good point, but it's a retail disc. Have used it with many Mac Pro's.

 

[chrfr]

Kernel Extensions in backtrace (with dependencies): com.apple.iokit.IOSCSIBlockCommandsDevice(2.6.2)@0x9d193000-
>0x9d1aafff dependency:
com.apple.iokit.IOSCSIArchitectureModelFamily(2.6.2)@0x9c2c4000 dependency: com.apple.iokit.IOStorageFamily(1.6)@0x8ebf3000
com.CalDigit.driver.HDPro(1.9.3)@0x9c47c000-

This stuff implicates your Caldigit card. Remove it and retest.
EDIT: is the firmware on your card current?

 

[funckdren]

This stuff implicates your Caldigit card. Remove it and retest.
EDIT: is the firmware on your card current?

Pretty sure, but I guess I need to check in the morning. I have also written to CalDigit about this issue. This card should play nicely with this CPU - they have good support and will hopefully weigh in.

Thanks for your help.

 

[funckdren]

Ahhh!!

I *just* remembered that CalDigit has a very convoluted upgrade / install procedure only for Snow Leopard running 4 internal RAIDed drives with boot drive in optical bay. That is exactly my situation.

http://www.caldigit.com/KB/index.asp?KBID=50&viewlocale=1

Will report back.

 

[Nameci]

Pretty sure, but I guess I need to check in the morning. I have also written to CalDigit about this issue. This card should play nicely with this CPU - they have good support and will hopefully weigh in.

Thanks for your help.

Pretty sure that your raid card is the issue. Usually when there is a kernel panic, you isolate the computer by removing peripherals except for the keyboard and mouse and video cards. Then one by one reintroducing the peripherals until a panic occur again.