FreeBSD 6.x CVSUP today crashes with zero load ...

[Michael Butler]

> Of course not.  You only panic once you have no other options left.
> Proper hardware with ECC give you these options.  I am not talking 
> consumer grade crap here of course.

I agree that no panic should occur if the error was correctable and it
should when it isn't.

However, *real* equipment will log a corrected error .. from an aging Dell
1-U server ..

Handle 0x0024, DMI type 15, 33 bytes
System Event Log
        Area Length: 4096 bytes
        Header Start Offset: 0x0000
        Header Length: 16 bytes
        Data Start Offset: 0x0010
        Access Method: Memory-mapped physical 32-bit address
        Access Address: 0xFFF33000
        Status: Valid, Not Full
        Change Token: 0x00000000
        Header Format: Type 1
        Supported Log Type Descriptors: 5
        Descriptor 1: POST error
        Data Format 1: POST results bitmap
        Descriptor 2: Parity memory error
        Data Format 2: Multiple-event
        Descriptor 3: I/O channel block
        Data Format 3: Multiple-event
        Descriptor 4: Single-bit ECC memory error
        Data Format 4: Multiple-event
        Descriptor 5: Multi-bit ECC memory error
        Data Format 5: Multiple-event

 .. So the logs are there, all that's required is a utility to read them
and, optionally, alert the administrator to the event,

Michael Butler, CISSP
Security Architect
Protected Networks
http://www.protected-networks.net