5.3-BETA7 install cd: kernel trap 12 with interrupts disabled

[Brian Fundakowski Feldman]

On Fri, Oct 15, 2004 at 10:20:25AM +0200, Guido van Rooij wrote:
> On Fri, Oct 15, 2004 at 04:14:04AM -0400, Robert Watson wrote:
> > > 
> > > I am beginning to wonder if we should have a boot option that enables a
> > > thorough memtest from within the kernel...(e.g. boot -m). 
> > 
> > I guess the old /dev/test_for_shoddy_workmanship driver is working :-).
> > 
> > It's probably just bad luck -- BIOS memory testing is generally pretty
> > poor, and it could just be FreeBSD stored your root vnode pointer (or some
> > other critical thing) in a memory word that Win2K was using for an icon,
> > so a single bit twiddle did pretty different things.  Glad it's fixed.  I
> > occasionally wonder if we shouldn't build a memory tester into the FreeBSD
> > boot loader to help diagnose this sort of stuff, though.  Not to run every
> > boot, but as a diagnostics option.
> 
> Yep, exactly my thoughts. I think this is a wonderfull idea.

The memtest86 program is certainly small enough that we could stick it
in /boot and make sure that the loader can run it.  I'd volunteer to
try and do it if I were less busy myself.

-- 
Brian Fundakowski Feldman                           \'[ FreeBSD ]''''''''''\
  <> green at FreeBSD.org                               \  The Power to Serve! \
 Opinions expressed are my own.                       \,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,\