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From: dillon@best.net (Matt Dillon)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.chips,comp.os.ms-windows.nt.setup.hardware,comp.os.ms-windows.setup.win95,comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc,comp.os.linux.hardware
Subject: Re: ECC vs parity: Gigabyte 686DX
Date: 17 Jul 1997 14:05:31 -0700
Organization: Best Internet Communications, Inc. - 415 964 BEST
Lines: 44
Message-ID: <5qm1er$h6b$1@flea.best.net>
References: <EDH9z1.I42@rockyd.rockefeller.edu>
NNTP-Posting-Host: flea.best.net
Xref: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.chips:159362 comp.os.ms-windows.nt.setup.hardware:34442 comp.os.ms-windows.setup.win95:54065 comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc:44637 comp.os.linux.hardware:80214
:In article <EDH9z1.I42@rockyd.rockefeller.edu>,
:Dan Ts'o <dan@dnn.rockefeller.edu> wrote:
:> I recently bought a Gigabyte 686DX system with dual PPro 200's and
:>2 * 32Mb parity memory in hopes of getting ECC memory implemented.
:> The systems runs "fine" with parity disabled, which was the way
:>the system was delivered.
:> With either parity enabled or ECC enabled, the system traps out with
:>a "parity error" any where from 5 minutes to several hours of run time.
:>
:> 1) Can I assume that the parity system is "working" and that it is
:>...
:>
:> 2) Under Windows 95, what is the practical difference between ECC and
:>parity ? How can I tell if the ECC circuitry has successfully corrected a
:>...
:> Obviously if Windows 95/BIOS is going to trap out even with an ECC
:>single bit detect->correct, then it is pointless to have ECC over parity.
:>
:> 3) What is the situation wrt ECC handling in other OS's: NT, FreeBSD,
:>Linux ?
:>
:>--
:> Cheers,
:> Dan Ts'o 212-327-7671
Both ECC and Parity modes work fine on PPro 200's / Natoma or later
chipsets.. we run all of our FreeBSD boxes on PPro's with ECC turned on.
We use single-cpu ASUS motherboards but I wouldn't expect there to be
any problems on duel-ppro boards.
Make sure your memory is actually parity memory and not some of the
'fake parity memory' that's been floating around. Fake parity memory
fakes the parity bit by using a parity generator rather then a dram
for the parity bits. It's the stupidest thing I've ever seen, but
apparently there are a lot of these floating around.
Also make sure that the memory speed settings in the bios match the
speed of the memory you purchased (usually 60 or 70ns).
I do not believe correctable bit errors generate an interrupt, but I
could be wrong.
-Matt