Messages in this thread |  | | From | "Tim W. Janes" <> | Subject | Re: Linux & ECC memory | Date | Fri, 15 Nov 1996 22:03:53 +0000 (GMT) |
| |
> > > > > A more subtle issue is whether the ECC memory controller could report > > instances where ECC detection and successful correction took place. It > > would seem to be useful to provide a way for the OS to recognize that > > non-fatal memory errors have occured, even though they were repaired. > > > > This is actually the more interesting issue. It isn't so important that > the kernel know how to work around a bad spot that has been ECC corrected. > It is much more interesting to me to have the kernel tell me that a > correction was made (soft error) so that I have the opportunity to replace > it before it degrades and a hard error occurs. > > This is really the whole advantage of ECC. It saves you from those pesky > one bit errors and reports them so you can act before it worsens. > > So my question would be "Does Linux log ECC corrections?". And from the > responses I'd infer that one ore more of the following applies: 1) nobody > really knows; 2) the boards are too new yet and it may come; 3) the > boards are too brain dead to have a way to report this info and it will > never come. > > I'd be interested in an informed answer as we've got 45 new linux server > boxes on order with ECC memory spec'd. Lack of kernel knowledge of ECC > won't hamper us but this support would sure be nice. > > --Eric > >
On some pentiumPro Motherboards (sorry not sure of chip set or details) there is a page in the BIOS setup that records the ECC corrections. My guess is that ECC corrections are not reported to the O/S but it should be possible to probe the CMOS and retrieve the ECC correction info.
We have got 128Mbyte parity memory installed on 10 machines and in 3 months have seen one NMI.
Tim.
|  |