private void setServerError(final String message, final Throwable cause) {
    try {
      writeStatus(createStatus(basename, SHUTDOWN_PENDING_AFTER_FAILED_STARTUP,
          OSProcess.getId(), message, cause));
    } catch (Exception e) {
      logger.fatal(e.getMessage(), e);
      ExitCode.FATAL.doSystemExit();
    }
  }
Notes that an error has occurred in the agent and that it has shut down because of it.
geode-core/src/main/java/org/apache/geode/admin/jmx/internal/AgentLauncher.java