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From: Mick <michaelkintzios@gmail.com>
To: gentoo-user@lists.gentoo.org
Subject: Re: [gentoo-user] machine check exception errors
Date: Wed, 22 Sep 2010 10:19:45 +0100
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References: <AANLkTimfpE6_hXSFObJ5Ycw6+Eesj3+MTkTmi=jvDkGU@mail.gmail.com> <201009212233.05120.michaelkintzios@gmail.com> <AANLkTinnoW3JJhA+FeysR-p6uytcx-TMj=P3uT5-9kzy@mail.gmail.com>
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On Wednesday 22 September 2010 02:24:39 Grant wrote:
> >> >>>> I'm getting a lot of machine check exception errors in dmesg on my
> >> >>>> hosted server. Running mcelog I get:
> >> >>>> ...
> >> >=20
> >> > They offered to take my machine down and do a memory test which they
> >> > said would take a number of hours. Is a memory test likely to help?
> >> > Did you suggest reseating or replacing RAM modules as opposed to a
> >> > memory test because it will result in less downtime?
> >>=20
> >> I suspect that your hosting provider are offering you this memory test
> >> because they don't want to go swapping out memory modules willy-nilly.
> >>=20
> >> How do they know that the problem is really memory, and not your
> >> operating system? If they take all this RAM out and put new RAM in,
> >> what do they do with the old RAM? They don't know if it's good or bad,
> >> so are they expected to just slap it in a server belonging to another
> >> customer, and stitch him up?
> >>=20
> >> A memory test is likely to identify bad RAM, if it is bad, so you shou=
ld
> >> proceed with this. This is likely the best route to solving the proble=
m.
> >>=20
> >> I think that ideally, for you, they would move the system image onto a
> >> different known-good server with the same configuration. Then you cann=
ot
> >> complain if the same problems start occurring again. If the problem is
> >> genuinely hardware then they won't. And the hosting provider is free to
> >> run diagnostics on your old machine.
> >>=20
> >> But realistically, the memory test is likely to show up a bad RAM
> >> module, you'll get it replaced and be up and running within a few
> >> hours. Why would you refuse? If your system needed a guaranteed uptime
> >> you'd perhaps have to pay for a higher level of service than the fees
> >> you're paying at present.
> >=20
> > I run memory tests overnight. If a module is seriously borked then it
> > will fail earlier. Reseating/replacing takes a few minutes, instead of
> > hours.
> >=20
> > If they have spare machines (for dev't or testing) they can fit the
> > memory module(s) there and test them exhaustively, before they put the
> > good ones back into a customer's machine.
>=20
> Thanks Mick and Stroller. I'll see if they'll go for this.
You're welcome. Bear in mind though that a lot of hosters are just glorifi=
ed=20
resellers with an account in a bigger data centre. In many cases they do n=
ot=20
even have physical access to the machines. Only the data centre techies do=
=20
and they may be less willing to oblige and break procedure or routine, just=
=20
because one end user out of hundreds/thousands complained about some memory=
=20
errors.
YMMV
=2D-=20
Regards,
Mick
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