Date: Mon, 11 Aug 2003 10:39:56 -0600 From: Robert Gray <bob@boulderlabs.com> To: Wes Peters <wes@softweyr.com> Cc: stable@freebsd.org Subject: Re: Strange things going on with 4.8 Message-ID: <200308111639.h7BGdvIL024267@vec.boulderlabs.com> In-Reply-To: Your message of "Sun, 10 Aug 2003 23:31:57 PDT."
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I'd like to emphasize that memtest86 doesn't catch lots of memory problems. Just last week I was having trouble compiling mozilla so I ran memtest86 over night. Nothing showed up. But, "make buildworld" repeatedly failed on compiler signal 11 errors at about 20% complete. Using "make buildworld", I was able to isolate a bad DIMM and now "make buildworld" and building mozilla run to completion (multiple times). Whenever possible, I run with parity/ECC on the motherboard and the memory modules. I'm hoping a hardware/memory/motherboard expert will chime in. How can manufacturers continue to make PCs without memory checking? With today's standards of 128-256MB in a PC, isn't it just a matter of time until a bit gets flipped the wrong way? Are manufacturers hoping that the bad bit will go unnoticed in multi-media? Is there something in today's non-parity memory modules that helps insure reliable data? Until I hear otherwise, I'll continue to spend extra for the redundant, error-checking memories. Thanks -robert gray Wes Peters <wes@softweyr.com> Sun, 10 Aug 2003 23:31:57 PDT says: >> >> Well the problem with testing memory with software is that its not >> necessarily possible to hammer it hard enough to trigger the problem. >> If you can reproduce it easily you might try cycling out one dimm and >> then trying to crash it. If removing a dimm fixes it then you probably >> took out the bad one. > >In fact, many people in the FreeBSD community feel the best memory test of >all is to 'make world' several times. I have experienced this myself >only once, but after returning the SIMM module to the vendor he verified >it was bad using a hardware tester. The replacement SIMM has been in for >5 months now and the machine has been marvelously stable, as I expect >from FreeBSD.
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