Strange things going on with 4.8

[Wes Peters]

On Sunday 10 August 2003 03:55 pm, Doug White wrote:
> On Mon, 11 Aug 2003, Daniela wrote:
> > > How did you test the memory? Generally short of using a hardware
> > > SIMM tester its very difficult to identify bad modules. memtest86
> > > run over the period of several hours can sometimes work.
> > >
> > > BIOS "tests" don't count.
> >
> > I used sysutils/memtest from the ports, and let it run over night.
> > BTW, is there some kind of "operating system" that boots off a floppy
> > and just tests the memory? That would be useful because memtest can't
> > test all the memory.
>
> Yes, memtest86. its a boot floppy image.
>
> > What other diagnostic software could I use?
>
> 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.

> Also of course check your heatsink is operating correctly.

Yes.  I use cases from Antec that have a fan-driven plenum over the CPU 
socket and have no problems with heat dissipation, except the small room 
the computers are in is often uncomfortably warm through the day.  Sigh.  
Whatever happened to peltier effect CPU coolers?

-- 

        Where am I, and what am I doing in this handbasket?

Wes Peters                                               wes at softweyr.com