Re: [expert] anyone know of a good hardware diagnostics tool for linux?
On Monday 10 March 2003 06:33 am, et wrote: > On Monday 10 March 2003 12:23 am, Carroll Grigsby wrote: > > On Sunday 09 March 2003 09:05 pm, David E. Fox wrote: > > > >Unless you're sure your case and cpu cooling is adequate, take the > > > > diag's in the above order. Otherwise go right to cpuburn. The acid > > > > test for cpu/cache/ram/PSU/motherboards. > > > > > > Someone also mentioned recompiling the kernel - using many > > > gcc forks (make -j 100) as a good test for the system. > > > > > > Obviously you have to have enough RAM for that many simultaneous > > > compiles, but it might be a good way to test the entirety of the > > > emmory / cpu / bus environment. The others are good as well, but > > > with the exception of memtest, they won't use a large enough portion > > > of the RAM. For instance, cpuburn runs a *very* tight loop - it would > > > easily fit in the CPU's primary cache. mprime does a little better - > > > maybe 13-20 megs of RAM involved here. Eitehr way, if there's a RAM > > > problem, cpuburn or mprime may never pick it up. The real difficulty > > > is if there is a RAM problem, there's likely no way to tell where it > > > is. But then the recourse is to just replace the module anyhow :). > > > > Reframing the original question: Are there any Linux programs for > > diagnosing problems with hardware subsystems? With the exception of > > memtest, it strikes me that everything mentioned to date in this thread > > is some form of stress test. While stress testing is useful to establish > > that the whole system is either OK or NFG, there are times when a more > > specific diagnostic is required. I'm thinking about something similar to > > the old CheckIt or PC Tools that I used back in the days of MSDOS 3.31. > > Or have these critters become so complex that it now takes a lab full of > > equipment to get any meaningful results? > > -- cmg > > checkIt and PCtools were only about as good as (imho) lspcidrake and fell > short of hadrdrake and I think CMG is suffering from what Paul Simon called the "kodachrome" effect Want to buy your Pack or Services from MandrakeSoft? Go to http://www.mandrakestore.com
Re: [expert] anyone know of a good hardware diagnostics tool for linux?
On Monday 10 March 2003 12:23 am, Carroll Grigsby wrote: > On Sunday 09 March 2003 09:05 pm, David E. Fox wrote: > > >Unless you're sure your case and cpu cooling is adequate, take the > > > diag's in the above order. Otherwise go right to cpuburn. The acid > > > test for cpu/cache/ram/PSU/motherboards. > > > > Someone also mentioned recompiling the kernel - using many > > gcc forks (make -j 100) as a good test for the system. > > > > Obviously you have to have enough RAM for that many simultaneous > > compiles, but it might be a good way to test the entirety of the > > emmory / cpu / bus environment. The others are good as well, but > > with the exception of memtest, they won't use a large enough portion > > of the RAM. For instance, cpuburn runs a *very* tight loop - it would > > easily fit in the CPU's primary cache. mprime does a little better - > > maybe 13-20 megs of RAM involved here. Eitehr way, if there's a RAM > > problem, cpuburn or mprime may never pick it up. The real difficulty > > is if there is a RAM problem, there's likely no way to tell where it > > is. But then the recourse is to just replace the module anyhow :). > > Reframing the original question: Are there any Linux programs for > diagnosing problems with hardware subsystems? With the exception of > memtest, it strikes me that everything mentioned to date in this thread is > some form of stress test. While stress testing is useful to establish that > the whole system is either OK or NFG, there are times when a more specific > diagnostic is required. I'm thinking about something similar to the old > CheckIt or PC Tools that I used back in the days of MSDOS 3.31. Or have > these critters become so complex that it now takes a lab full of equipment > to get any meaningful results? > -- cmg checkIt and PCtools were only about as good as (imho) lspcidrake and fell short of hadrdrake Want to buy your Pack or Services from MandrakeSoft? Go to http://www.mandrakestore.com
Re: [expert] anyone know of a good hardware diagnostics tool for linux?
On Sunday 09 March 2003 09:05 pm, David E. Fox wrote: > >Unless you're sure your case and cpu cooling is adequate, take the > > diag's in the above order. Otherwise go right to cpuburn. The acid > > test for cpu/cache/ram/PSU/motherboards. > > Someone also mentioned recompiling the kernel - using many > gcc forks (make -j 100) as a good test for the system. > > Obviously you have to have enough RAM for that many simultaneous > compiles, but it might be a good way to test the entirety of the > emmory / cpu / bus environment. The others are good as well, but > with the exception of memtest, they won't use a large enough portion > of the RAM. For instance, cpuburn runs a *very* tight loop - it would > easily fit in the CPU's primary cache. mprime does a little better - > maybe 13-20 megs of RAM involved here. Eitehr way, if there's a RAM > problem, cpuburn or mprime may never pick it up. The real difficulty > is if there is a RAM problem, there's likely no way to tell where it > is. But then the recourse is to just replace the module anyhow :). Reframing the original question: Are there any Linux programs for diagnosing problems with hardware subsystems? With the exception of memtest, it strikes me that everything mentioned to date in this thread is some form of stress test. While stress testing is useful to establish that the whole system is either OK or NFG, there are times when a more specific diagnostic is required. I'm thinking about something similar to the old CheckIt or PC Tools that I used back in the days of MSDOS 3.31. Or have these critters become so complex that it now takes a lab full of equipment to get any meaningful results? -- cmg Want to buy your Pack or Services from MandrakeSoft? Go to http://www.mandrakestore.com
Re: [expert] anyone know of a good hardware diagnostics tool for linux?
>Unless you're sure your case and cpu cooling is adequate, take the > diag's in the above order. Otherwise go right to cpuburn. The acid > test for cpu/cache/ram/PSU/motherboards. Someone also mentioned recompiling the kernel - using many gcc forks (make -j 100) as a good test for the system. Obviously you have to have enough RAM for that many simultaneous compiles, but it might be a good way to test the entirety of the emmory / cpu / bus environment. The others are good as well, but with the exception of memtest, they won't use a large enough portion of the RAM. For instance, cpuburn runs a *very* tight loop - it would easily fit in the CPU's primary cache. mprime does a little better - maybe 13-20 megs of RAM involved here. Eitehr way, if there's a RAM problem, cpuburn or mprime may never pick it up. The real difficulty is if there is a RAM problem, there's likely no way to tell where it is. But then the recourse is to just replace the module anyhow :). Want to buy your Pack or Services from MandrakeSoft? Go to http://www.mandrakestore.com
Re: [expert] anyone know of a good hardware diagnostics tool for linux?
On Saturday March 8 2003 01:55 pm, Adrian Golumbovici wrote: > Something which would test motherboard (also bios and memory > addressing) related problems? > I used memtest86 but if I understood it right it will just test the > memory itself but not the real way an operating system handles it. > > Best regards, > Adrian o memtest86 should be the first step BUT, no software diag can separate ram from the rest of the system for testing. o mprime (http://www.mersenne.org/freesoft.htm) A better test of cpu/cache/ram/motherboard/PSU than memtest. Run the torture test. (mprime -m, #17 from the menu). o Cpuburn (http://users.ev1.net/~redelm/) Run the modules appropriate for your system and cpu. Mandrake also has an rpm for it. If you can run cpuburn for about an hour without failing, your system should be bulletproof. Unless you're sure your case and cpu cooling is adequate, take the diag's in the above order. Otherwise go right to cpuburn. The acid test for cpu/cache/ram/PSU/motherboards. -- Tom Brinkman Corpus Christi, Texas Want to buy your Pack or Services from MandrakeSoft? Go to http://www.mandrakestore.com
[expert] anyone know of a good hardware diagnostics tool for linux?
Something which would test motherboard (also bios and memory addressing) related problems? I used memtest86 but if I understood it right it will just test the memory itself but not the real way an operating system handles it. Best regards, Adrian Want to buy your Pack or Services from MandrakeSoft? Go to http://www.mandrakestore.com
