On Sun, Dec 01, 2002 at 03:18:26PM +0100, Mark wrote: > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Lowell Gilbert" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: "Mark" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Cc: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Sent: Sunday, December 01, 2002 1:47 PM > Subject: Re: Memory test? > > > > Mark <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: > > > > > I just did a makeshift memory stress test on a new machine; that is, > > > I did a "make buildworld". Regrettably, it failed, saying it had a > syntax > > > error somewhere. :( > > > > > > So, I ran it again; and this time it went fine; then I reinstalled > > > FreeBSD 4.7 altogether, and rebuilt world again. And, again, > > > no problems. > > > > > > This is a bit worrysome. Does FreeBSD even notice bad memory? > > > Would the kernel put a message in /var/log/messages? It did not > > > show anything there when buildworld failed. > > > > I'm not sure what you're getting at. You've seen just one failure, > > and it is of a type that is highly unlikely to be memory-related. > > > Au contraire; a syntax error in a "make buildworld" that cannot be repeated > when issued again is almost always indicative of a memory error -- > especially with a new out of box FreeBSD 4.7R -- and is generally considered > a good memory stress test. > > I was rightly alerted to a memory error. I ran Memtest86, suggested by a > list-member here, and indeed, one of the Kingston 512M DIMM's was acting up. > I did some research; and Kingston memory appears to have known issues with > the ASUS A7V333 board. > As an aside, memtest *can* show false positivies on some Asus motherboards with AMD chips. Tests 5 and 7 are not to be trusted. I found this out by own observations, and I believe (although I cannot remember where I read it) that tests 5 and 7 can be a bit iffy. The memory in question when in use and under stress showed no memory typical problems at all. The same memory tested on a system with a Pentium III also showed no failures with repeated running of these particular tests.
-- Regards Cliff Sarginson The Netherlands [ This mail has been checked as virus-free ] To Unsubscribe: send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with "unsubscribe freebsd-questions" in the body of the message
