Recently i upgraded to Big Sur and i leave the computer for some time and came back and see that the system was rebooted with kernel panic. any help would be appreciated to fix the issue.
Here is the log i get when the imac pro is started
panic(cpu 4 caller 0xffffff800e153a13): userspace watchdog timeout: no successful checkins from com.apple.WindowServer in 120 seconds
iMac Pro
AdGuard knows there is an issue but they claim they can't fix it from their side… yet the problem goes away when you uninstall their software:
https://github.com/AdguardTeam/AdguardForMac/issues/761
AdGuard was suspect because its extension was clearly mentioned in the backtrace:
Kernel Extensions in backtrace:
com.adguard.nfext(27.0)[4AF16C66-CBFC-369B-8F0A-6FB96F1D536E]@0xffffff7fb1185000->0xffffff7fb1188fff
I boot in to safe mode and then in to normal mode resolved the issue for me.
Have you tried disabling PowerNap? That has solved the issue for many.
I have had the same issue (same error message too) since upgrading to Big Sur. The only thing that prevents the kernel panic and reboot is if I connect to my VPN. Then everything runs as normal.
To add, I have a 2019 MacBook Pro (13 inch).
jlundell wrote:
I’ve been seeing the user-space watchdog panic on an iMac with 11.1. My conjecture is that it’s related to heavy Spotlight indexing (I’d cloned a user account, effectively, so lots to do).
That's not a bad theory.
Going by the message:
panic(cpu 4 caller 0xffffff800e153a13): userspace watchdog timeout: no successful checkins from com.apple.WindowServer in 120 seconds
what's happening is that WindowServer, which is the process that handles all graphics requests to display anything on your Mac on behalf of applications - draw a window, move a window, draw contents in windows, etc. - hasn't checked in with the kernel in two minutes.
Normally, this should never be the case, as when this is happening the screen can't update properly, even to draw the "beachball" cursor to note that an application is too busy to respond to events in its event queue.
For this to go on for two minutes has a few obvious causes:
1) The system is stuck/busy - say you were using a regular hard drive that was failing and all operations were retrying.
2) A bug such that WindowServer has not properly reset the watchdog timer
3) A bug such that WindowServer sent the command to check in with the kernel but the kernel never processed it
Regardless, the system is either really busy or thinks it is.
One example that seems to be something users were experiencing in macOS Catalina:
Was the dGPU out to lunch? Bug in the driver? In WindowServer? Impossible to say.
This obviously should never happen, so yes, keep sending reports back to Apple both via the normal mechanism and by contacting Apple Support directly if you feel up to the task.
I just got an Email trying to link these kernel panics to Firefox. I briefly thought that was the case, but since I have had zero panics since updating to 11.1 and use Firefox every day, I conclude that the 11.1 update resolved the issue I had. I have stopped following this thread. In my opinion, if you continue to have panics after updating to 11.1, then you probably have a cause not related to a bug in MacOS.
Over two weeks now and not a single kernel panic on Big Sur
The issue does seem to be USB related. As soon as I was told not to disconnect or reconnect USB peripherals while the lid is closed, the panics stopped completely.
I am in heaven right now as for months I dealt with multiple daily panics and now my MBP is operating normally.
If you want to install Mojave while waiting for a Big Sur update, these links could be useful:
How to get old versions of macOS: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT211683
How to create a bootable installer for macOS: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201372
Installing macOS on a separate APFS volume: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208891
You don't need to delete the Big Sur partition, just keep it waiting for an update to be able to test it.
What USB devices do you have connected? The issue seems USB-related.
I disabled the display sleep setting when connected to power (my MacBook is always plugged in on my desk) and I haven't had a crash/restart since Thursday. (settings below). I wasn't actively using the computer during that time as I was traveling. However, earlier last week, I had the setting enabled for 1 hour and when I was not using it, I would experience crashes.
@fabickfo
Yes, I do. The crashes did come back after my last post.
In the meanwhile they do not anymore (over a week, I haven't rebooted however).
I have done following. One of these steps might have solved the issue for me:
Same crash here on an iMac Pro with two external monitors. I upgraded from Mojave to Big Sur 11.1 yesterday. The crash happened overnight.
I was seeing these same crashes with Catalina whenever two monitors were plugged in, so I rolled back to Mojave where it doesn't happen and sat out an entire macOS release. Please tell me that I don't have to roll back again and skip Big Sur?
It’s clear that there are multiple underlying causes for these multiple panics. I was fortunate in being able to fix mine with a drive replacement (though I should note in passing that the drive replacement also entailed a fresh macOS installation...). Also, while DriveDX (and I’m guessing any SMART reporter) could see that my drive was failing, SMART is notorious for not being able to diagnose all drive issues. Not that all these problems are drive-related (that’s highly unlikely, I think), but a clean SMART bill of health doesn’t entirely let a drive off the hook.
So, it has now been over a month (probably 7 weeks) since my last kernel panic and I suspect the issue is now resolved.
AdGuard has updated its software. Since adding it back, no issues.
I was being careful not to unplug my MBP from the dock while the lid was closed.
Now it seems Apple has finally caught on to the fact there were kernel panics related to USB dock connections as it has just released an emergency 11.2.2 update today to address those problems.
So, I am hoping all my fellow Apple users in this group are no longer having Kernel Panics.
Thanks, Barney. So I will eject my 3TB LaCie Time Machine drive and power down; unplug the drive and external monitor; and power up with only an Ethernet wired connection to the Verizon modem, with no USB connections, and no earphone, and see what happens. I should be able to run all day on Internet, email and use other apps, right?
Hi Alexandros80,
No, I haven't had any problems. To download the previous versions, follow these links (do not use the search function in Apple Store):
How to get old versions of macOS: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT211683
How to create a bootable installer for macOS: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201372
If on your Mac You can't use Mojave, try Catalina.
In any case use a new APFS partition:
Installing macOS on a separate APFS volume: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208891
I don't know if the information provided by Dogcow-moof is correct, but you can try.
For sure you can't install an old version of Mac OS on a new version, but on a different partition you can.
I hope I was helpful.
Bye
Big Sur kernel panic
