I'd have to check how it does/did it, but in the past I used the NHC (node health check) system for monitoring HPC cluster nodes. In this context the relevant

I'd have to check how it does/did it, but in the past I used the NHC (node health check) system for monitoring HPC cluster nodes. In this context the relevant check was for DIMMs dropping out. What it read needed a fudge factor, because the value changed at least once with a BIOS update. You couldn't just check the number was the same as when you initially set it up. Experience with several hundred-node clusters is that the hardware doesn't obey the conservation law many people assume. It's not that uncommon to find cores and DIMMs disappearing from "sight" -- or being absent initially and not spotted by the vendor. (I've yet to see an HPC cluster vendor that understands real system management.)