Well, lets keep things in context. The server was still running and a reboot fixed the issue. So, "blowing up" isn't germain. Trust me, when you experience a 'blow up' you will know. No reboot/loss of all date/small mother board fire - all not fun.
Anyway - how old is your server? I have seen on older Compaq (win NT) servers that if there is a loss of network connectivity - the server must be cold booted. (shut down - unplugged - restarted)
But you are right, it could be an OS version issue as well. Just one of those things that you should keep in your 'admin pocket' for later use.