FreeBSD 6.x CVSUP today crashes with zero load ...

[Dmitry Pryanishnikov]

On Mon, 26 Jun 2006, Paul Allen wrote:
> The very originating purpose of ECC was to keep the computer going in the
> face of an alpha particle strike.
>
> Alpha particles flip *single* bits.
>
> ECC was never intended to detect crummy, failing hardware: that's a use
> people have shoe-horned it into, but for which it is not entirely suited.

  Well, correction is the last 'C' in ECC. Don't forget about second (and more
significant): Check. Error Check actually detects failing memory chips 
(structure of the correcting code ensures detection of every 2-bit failure
and most N-bit (N>2)).


Sincerely, Dmitry
-- 
Atlantis ISP, System Administrator
e-mail:  dmitry at atlantis.dp.ua
nic-hdl: LYNX-RIPE