[TriLUG] Python causing Kernel Panics?

[Brian Henning]

Hi Guys and Gals,
   Lately one of our boxen has started spewing non-critical kernel panic 
messages (I say non-critical because it only affects the culprit process 
and doesn't result in losing interactivity or any services) every few 
minutes.  Most of the displayed message is gibberish to me (I know what 
most of it *means*, but it's not useful information to me), but there's 
a line that says (forgive me if this isn't QUITE verbatim; I'm doing 
this from memory as the machine's terminal is in a room far away)

<01> Unable to handle memory paging request

and

Process python ... (PID xyzx .....)

Python?  That's a name I recognize, but I don't know what periodic task 
would be invoking python in such a way to cause these memory problems.

I realize that the RIGHT solution is (probably) fix the RAM.  Ultimately 
I do intend to rebuild this machine with newer hardware.  But for now, 
is there a way I can figure out what process keeps spawning python, and 
stop it?  Presuming, of course, that it is not a critical process.

Apparently it's not that critical anyhow, or Very Bad Things would be 
happening instead of just a message on the terminal.

This would just be long enough for me to soften the boss up for spending 
a couple hundred bucks on new CPU, mobo, and RAM..

Thanks for the input, as always.

Regards,
~Brian