Re: NMI errors in 2.0.30??u

Matthias Urlichs (smurf@work.smurf.noris.de)
6 May 1997 19:50:10 +0200

R.E.Wolff@BitWizard.nl (Rogier Wolff) writes:
>
> Although I know that a memory test is not going to find 90% of the
> memory errors, I might still want to write a kernel-option that does a
> memory test just after boot. Alan, (or anybody else,) would you know

Kernel bloat! Kernel bloat! Kernel bloat! ;-)

> of a generic way to have DMA occurring concurrently with the memory
> test to trigger that type of errors? I'm afraid that this would be
> impossible right?
>
If you want to see whether your SIMMs are OK, get a good SIMM checker. A
_really_ good SIMM checker.

The problem is that while the SIMM might be perfectly OK, your mainboard et
al. might have somewhat-noisy lines, or subtle timing bugs, or...

Such problems are unfindable without a logic analyzer and heaps of
experience. Ask anybody who does this professionally. Most people, of
course, just swap components until they find a combination that seems to
work correctly.

The best memory checker is a kernel recompile, a network download, and a
floppy read. At the same time. Repeatedly. I have yet to see a problem that
didn't eventually show up under this kind of stress.

-- 
When in Rome, live in the Roman way.
               --St. Ambrose

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