3 ms·

ECC is great for detecting errors more than correcting them. Then one can do thorough memtests and decide if it's time to replace memory modules. It doesn't rea

by strmpnk 10y ago

ECC is great for detecting errors more than correcting them. Then one can do thorough memtests and decide if it's time to replace memory modules. It doesn't really prevent problems (there are unrepairable ECC errors too) as much as it leads to early detection and repair. Well worth it when you're optimizing for MTTR. It's not a silver bullet if the user is just paranoid about data integrity (nothing beats end-to-end integrity checks built into your system, while ECC only addresses one step in the process).

agapon 10y ago
Personal anecdote. I have a Phenom + Asus mobo system with ECC memory in it that has been working fine for years without reporting a single ECC error. And then they started. At first there was a correctable error once every few days, then few errors per day, and then almost a constant stream of errors. Fortunately, they were all correctable. From the reported ECC syndomes I deduced that it was always the same single bit lane. That's why only a single ECC symbol was affected and the errors were correctable. I reseated the CPU and DIMMs and the errors went away, and the system keeps chugging on. Not sure what it was, maybe some dust particle getting in a wrong place, maybe some oxidation. Anyway, I can only imagine how much trouble those errors could do if they were not detected and corrected. Especially, at the stage when there was a moderate number of them. I guess when they would become too many, then the system would just crash all the time.
- equalunique 10y ago
  Interesting! I had a similar setup using ECC memory on a GA-990FXA-UD3 with FX-8320. Unfortunately, what I discovered was, even though it operated OK, the actual ECC features weren't being utilized. What CPU / Motherboard combination did you use? I think it's exciting that your combination actually used the ECC functionality.

by strmpnk 10y ago

agapon 10y ago

Personal anecdote. I have a Phenom + Asus mobo system with ECC memory in it that has been working fine for years without reporting a single ECC error. And then they started. At first there was a correctable error once every few days, then few errors per day, and then almost a constant stream of errors. Fortunately, they were all correctable. From the reported ECC syndomes I deduced that it was always the same single bit lane. That's why only a single ECC symbol was affected and the errors were correctable. I reseated the CPU and DIMMs and the errors went away, and the system keeps chugging on. Not sure what it was, maybe some dust particle getting in a wrong place, maybe some oxidation. Anyway, I can only imagine how much trouble those errors could do if they were not detected and corrected. Especially, at the stage when there was a moderate number of them. I guess when they would become too many, then the system would just crash all the time.

equalunique 10y ago
Interesting! I had a similar setup using ECC memory on a GA-990FXA-UD3 with FX-8320. Unfortunately, what I discovered was, even though it operated OK, the actual ECC features weren't being utilized. What CPU / Motherboard combination did you use? I think it's exciting that your combination actually used the ECC functionality.