Public bug reported:
Labels: bug, dkms, kernel-panic, boot
System Information
OS: Ubuntu 24.04
Failing kernel: 6.17.0-14-generic
Working kernel: 6.14.0-37-generic (fallback)
Description
Kernel 6.17.0-14-generic panics during boot and the system falls back to
6.14.0-37-generic. The root cause is the VirtualBox DKMS module failing to
compile for 6.17.0-14, which leaves linux-image-6.17.0-14-generic in a
half-configured state and causes dpkg to abort package configuration with exit
status 11.
Steps to Reproduce
Install linux-image-6.17.0-14-generic on a system with virtualbox-dkms present
Observe DKMS build failure during post-install hooks
Reboot — system panics and falls back to previous kernel
Evidence
Crash dumps in /var/crash/:
linux-image-6.17.0-14-generic.0.crash (2026-02-13 22:56)
virtualbox-dkms.0.crash (2026-02-09 22:35)
APT/dpkg log output:
make -j8 KERNELRELEASE=6.17.0-14-generic ... (bad exit status: 2)
dpkg: error processing package linux-image-6.17.0-14-generic (--configure)
Exit status: 11
Package state:
linux-image-6.17.0-14-generic — installed but half-configured
virtualbox-dkms — fails to build module for 6.17.0-14
VirtualBox service fails to start: No suitable module for running kernel found
No active VMs present; last VirtualBox usage: 2024-11-09
Timeline
TimestampEvent2026-02-09 22:35Kernel 6.17.0-14 installed; DKMS build
fails2026-02-13 09:23Multiple dpkg --configure -a attempts, all fail2026-02-13
22:56Latest crash dump generated2026-02-14 00:22System boots to 6.14.0-37
fallback
Workaround / Fix Applied
bashsudo apt remove --purge -y virtualbox virtualbox-qt virtualbox-source
sudo dpkg --configure -a
sudo update-grub
sudo reboot
Removing VirtualBox unblocks DKMS and allows linux-image-6.17.0-14-generic to
complete configuration. System boots into 6.17.0-14 successfully after reboot.
Expected Behaviour
A DKMS module build failure for a third-party package (VirtualBox) should not
block kernel image configuration or cause a kernel panic. The kernel should
boot successfully regardless of whether optional DKMS modules compile cleanly.
ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 24.04
Package: virtualbox-dkms (not installed)
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 6.17.0-14.14~24.04.1-generic 6.17.9
Uname: Linux 6.17.0-14-generic x86_64
ApportVersion: 2.28.1-0ubuntu3.8
Architecture: amd64
CasperMD5CheckResult: pass
CurrentDesktop: ubuntu:GNOME
Date: Sat Feb 14 00:48:29 2026
InstallationDate: Installed on 2025-09-01 (165 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 24.04.3 LTS "Noble Numbat" - Release amd64
(20250805.1)
ProcEnviron:
LANG=en_US.UTF-8
PATH=(custom, no user)
SHELL=/bin/bash
TERM=xterm-256color
XDG_RUNTIME_DIR=<set>
SourcePackage: virtualbox
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)
** Affects: virtualbox (Ubuntu)
Importance: Undecided
Status: New
** Tags: amd64 apport-bug noble wayland-session
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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/2141796
Title:
Kernel panic on boot with 6.17.0-14-generic due to VirtualBox DKMS
build failure blocking package configuration
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