Skip site navigation (1)Skip section navigation (2)
Date:      Tue, 27 Jun 2006 10:25:05 +0300 (EEST)
From:      Dmitry Pryanishnikov <dmitry@atlantis.dp.ua>
To:        Paul Allen <nospam@ugcs.caltech.edu>
Cc:        "M.Hirsch" <webmaster@hirsch.it>, freebsd-stable@freebsd.org
Subject:   Re: FreeBSD 6.x CVSUP today crashes with zero load ...
Message-ID:  <20060627102111.I35218@atlantis.atlantis.dp.ua>
In-Reply-To: <20060627004115.GA12597@groat.ugcs.caltech.edu>
References:  <20060626081029.L1114@ganymede.hub.org> <20060626140333.M38418@fledge.watson.org> <20060626235355.Q95667@atlantis.atlantis.dp.ua> <44A04FD2.1030001@hirsch.it> <20060627011512.N95667@atlantis.atlantis.dp.ua> <44A06233.1090704@hirsch.it> <20060627014335.E87535@atlantis.atlantis.dp.ua> <44A068A7.3090403@hirsch.it> <20060627020819.L3403@atlantis.atlantis.dp.ua> <44A06FFB.40104@hirsch.it> <20060627004115.GA12597@groat.ugcs.caltech.edu>

next in thread | previous in thread | raw e-mail | index | archive | help
On Mon, 26 Jun 2006, Paul Allen wrote:
> The very originating purpose of ECC was to keep the computer going in the
> face of an alpha particle strike.
>
> Alpha particles flip *single* bits.
>
> ECC was never intended to detect crummy, failing hardware: that's a use
> people have shoe-horned it into, but for which it is not entirely suited.

  Well, correction is the last 'C' in ECC. Don't forget about second (and more
significant): Check. Error Check actually detects failing memory chips 
(structure of the correcting code ensures detection of every 2-bit failure
and most N-bit (N>2)).


Sincerely, Dmitry
-- 
Atlantis ISP, System Administrator
e-mail:  dmitry@atlantis.dp.ua
nic-hdl: LYNX-RIPE



Want to link to this message? Use this URL: <https://mail-archive.FreeBSD.org/cgi/mid.cgi?20060627102111.I35218>