Enabling ECC

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.mainboard.gigabyte (More info?)

Finally got our new Gigabyte GA-7DPXDW+ dual AMD MP2800 system built after
10 weeks of battling with Insight to actually replace the motherboard -
jeez, do these guys want to loose our business - first reply "hi there,
think this motherboard is faulty" - ten weeks later that finally replace it
and surprise, surprise, works a treat. Oh well, that's not why I posted this
message.

This motherboard has ECC RAM. Couple of questions:

1. Should it be enabled in RAM or will Windows 2000 Server enable it (I
think the answer is YES and NO)
2. What setting: Check, Correct or Correct & Scrub?
3. What is scrub anyway?

I can see arguments for leaving it on just check (i.e. tell me if there are
any errors so I can replace the RAM) and correct (i.e. you're error
correctly ram, correct it).

BTW - if it's on CORRECT mode, how do you determine if it's actually
corrected any bits?

Thanks, Rob.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.mainboard.gigabyte (More info?)

Rob Nicholson wrote:

> This motherboard has ECC RAM. Couple of questions:
>
> 1. Should it be enabled in RAM

If by "RAM" you mean "BIOS", then yes.


> or will Windows 2000 Server enable it

No, Win2k has no knowledge of whether or not your RAM is ECC.


> 2. What setting: Check, Correct or Correct & Scrub?

I'd recommend "Correct"


> 3. What is scrub anyway?

It writes the corrected value back into the RAM. As opposed to
"Correct", which just corrects the value as it is requested. Scrub
mode has additional overhead.


> BTW - if it's on CORRECT mode, how do you determine if it's actually
> corrected any bits?

Good question. With Linux, there's an ECC module that you can load to
keep track of ECC status.
http://www.anime.net/~goemon/linux-ecc/

An SGI IRIX machine I worked with automatically logged any time it
corrected any bits with ECC.

With Win2k, I'm unaware of any way you can look at the ECC status.
I've worked on a Dell server, and it had special BIOS/DMI support for
logging errors such as ECC, and they had a windows application to view
this DMI data. But as for an all-purpose solution to check ECC status
in Windows, I wouldn't know how it could be done.


-WD

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.mainboard.gigabyte (More info?)

juz for ur info.. ECC is slower than non-ECC

==============
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[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.mainboard.gigabyte (More info?)

> If by "RAM" you mean "BIOS", then yes.

Yes, meant BIOS

> "Correct", which just corrects the value as it is requested. Scrub
> mode has additional overhead.

Additional overhead when - during boot-up (I've heard scrub slows down boot
but then again, so does correct)? Or during every write?

Thanks, Rob.

> this DMI data. But as for an all-purpose solution to check ECC status
> in Windows, I wouldn't know how it could be done.

Me neither unless the RAM has some kind of reporting functionality.

Cheers, Rob.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.mainboard.gigabyte (More info?)

> juz for ur info.. ECC is slower than non-ECC

Round and round in circles This is a server so needs to be high
specification and should use ECC for stability. But that'll slow it down,
but it's a server so needs to be high specification...

Cheers, Rob.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.mainboard.gigabyte (More info?)

Rob Nicholson wrote:

> Additional overhead when - during boot-up (I've heard scrub slows down boot
> but then again, so does correct)? Or during every write?

Not exactly sure. Here's some info about ECC:
http://www.rojakpot.com/default.aspx?location=8&var1=0&var2=211

With my particular system, I could not resume from STR mode properly
when Correct+Scrub was enabled. When I switched it to Correct only,
STR did work.

I've since discovered other quirks with STR mode, so I haven't used it
much, but I've left the ECC setting the same. I have no stability
problems with my PC, but as for whether or not the ECC RAM is making a
difference I can't say for sure. At least with Windows, I consider ECC
a "peace of mind tax"


-WD

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.mainboard.gigabyte (More info?)

> Rob Nicholsonwrote:

juz for ur info.. ECC is slower than non-ECC
>
Round and round in circles This is a server so needs to be high
specification and should use ECC for stability. But that'll slow it
down,
but it's a server so needs to be high specification...

Cheers, Rob.

'

now were talking.. :lol:

==============
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[Tim]

Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.mainboard.gigabyte (More info?)

Not quite!

A computer with ECC runs infinitely faster than one without ECC that has
experienced a single bit failure at some critical memory location resulting
in possibly disk corruption and BSOD. If the memory location is well and
truly stuffed then automatic reboots aren't going to help.

People pay the extra to get the extra reliability - thats it. I had a
mainframe that had 1 bit failing 27 times / second every second of every
day. We scheduled the memory concerned to be replaced as part of the routine
maintenace which was within our quota of scheduled down time - six months or
so later. Without ECC we would have had a failure that demanded immediate
repair and would have cost the time of all staff and customers needing to
use the system for the duration of the repair (incuding any restores / fixes
needed after the crash). This may have escalated from 10's to even 100's of
thousands of dollars from 1 bit failure.

So if you are a single desktop user then ECC is possibly not beneficial
enough for you and you might - just might - notice the difference in
performance.

I doubt most users would notice the difference in performance. Benchmarks
would, but thats why they are written.

- Tim






"LaNc3r" <lancer@hexon-studio-dot-com.no-spam.invalid> wrote in message
news:40e178da$1_1@news.athenanews.com...
>> Rob Nicholsonwrote:
>

juz for ur info.. ECC is slower than non-ECC
>>
> Round and round in circles This is a server so needs to be high
> specification and should use ECC for stability. But that'll slow it
> down,
> but it's a server so needs to be high specification...
>
> Cheers, Rob.

'
>
> now were talking.. :lol:
>
> ==============
> Posted through www.HowToFixComputers.com/bb - free access to hardware
> troubleshooting newsgroups.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.mainboard.gigabyte (More info?)

Hello,

I only have a desktop pc at home but I bought ECC memory anyway; I'm
paranoid

But I don't really understand what the bios settings are. Please could
you tell me what correct and correct and scrub mean, and which is
preferable to have?

Why should this slow the boot? I have noticed it takes a long time
before the mobo bleeps and displays anything. Is this why? Is it
checking the ram first (btw I have 1 Gb ram).

Thanks.