@@ -3,6 +3,9 @@ package engine

 import (

 	"fmt"

 	"os"

+	"log"

+	"runtime"

+	"github.com/dotcloud/docker/utils"

 )

@@ -31,6 +34,24 @@ type Engine struct {

 // Changing the contents of the root without executing a job will cause unspecified

 // behavior.

 func New(root string) (*Engine, error) {

+	// Check for unsupported architectures

+	if runtime.GOARCH != "amd64" {

+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("The docker runtime currently only supports amd64 (not %s). This will change in the future. Aborting.", runtime.GOARCH)

+	}

+	// Check for unsupported kernel versions

+	// FIXME: it would be cleaner to not test for specific versions, but rather

+	// test for specific functionalities.

+	// Unfortunately we can't test for the feature "does not cause a kernel panic"

+	// without actually causing a kernel panic, so we need this workaround until

+	// the circumstances of pre-3.8 crashes are clearer.

+	// For details see http://github.com/dotcloud/docker/issues/407

+	if k, err := utils.GetKernelVersion(); err != nil {

+		log.Printf("WARNING: %s\n", err)

+	} else {

+		if utils.CompareKernelVersion(k, &utils.KernelVersionInfo{Kernel: 3, Major: 8, Minor: 0}) < 0 {

+			log.Printf("WARNING: You are running linux kernel version %s, which might be unstable running docker. Please upgrade your kernel to 3.8.0.", k.String())

+		}

+	}

 	if err := os.MkdirAll(root, 0700); err != nil && !os.IsExist(err) {

 		return nil, err

 	}

@@ -577,14 +577,6 @@ func NewRuntime(config *DaemonConfig) (*Runtime, error) {

 	if err != nil {

 		return nil, err

 	}

-

-	if k, err := utils.GetKernelVersion(); err != nil {

-		log.Printf("WARNING: %s\n", err)

-	} else {

-		if utils.CompareKernelVersion(k, &utils.KernelVersionInfo{Kernel: 3, Major: 8, Minor: 0}) < 0 {

-			log.Printf("WARNING: You are running linux kernel version %s, which might be unstable running docker. Please upgrade your kernel to 3.8.0.", k.String())

-		}

-	}

 	runtime.UpdateCapabilities(false)

 	return runtime, nil

 }

@@ -1430,9 +1430,6 @@ func (srv *Server) ContainerCopy(name string, resource string, out io.Writer) er

 }

 func NewServer(config *DaemonConfig) (*Server, error) {

-	if runtime.GOARCH != "amd64" {

-		log.Fatalf("The docker runtime currently only supports amd64 (not %s). This will change in the future. Aborting.", runtime.GOARCH)

-	}

 	runtime, err := NewRuntime(config)

 	if err != nil {

 		return nil, err