testing RAM in a headless Mac?

[rickeames]

So I run my MacMini (2011) as a headless server. The way I work on it is via Remote Desktop. It stands as our PLEX server as well.

Earlier this week, I moved the RAM up to 16GB using a MacSales memory kit. Since then, the machine has needed a reboot twice while watching movies with PLEX. With the original memory, this didn't happen, so I'm wanting to test the memory to see if I got a bad module. The question is: how do I do that when it's running headless? All of the options I have seen require me to have a keyboard and a monitor, which makes it way more difficult to pull off.

I hope it's not the memory, but two freezes since installing isn't a good sign.

 

[ivnj]

Why not just attach a temporary monitor and keyboard and mouse to test.

 

[organicCPU]

Maybe you can manage to run memtest using a ssh connection. Rember contains memtest. http://www.kelleycomputing.net/rember/

 

[rickeames]

Why not just attach a temporary monitor and keyboard and mouse to test.

I don't have those just hanging around. The other machines in the house are laptops and iMac's. I'll see if I can steal one from somewhere, but I was hoping for a good headless solution as I'm sure to run into this again with something else.

 

[DeltaMac]

You could try a few other tests that don't involve local restarts:
1. Swap the sticks between slots - make sure the RAM is properly seated.

2. Remove one stick, and run with just the one 8GB stick for a few days.
Swap sticks, and let it run for a few more days.
If there is a problem with one stick, it will likely show up that way.
It takes longer than a local memory test, but should result in weeding out a bad stick.

You should also do an NVRAM reset, but you would need to use a keyboard for that reset.
I don't know if you can perform an NVRAM reset without a local keyboard to use.
Any keyboard that you use on an iMac would work fine for that, and most PC keyboards.
(It's always handy to keep a USB keyboard around as a spare, especially if you have several Macs around.)

 

[ivnj]

You can use target display mode. Your imac becomes a monitor. What year is the imac you have? Less than 2009 does not work.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204592

 

[organicCPU]

I don't know if you can perform an NVRAM reset without a local keyboard to use.

What could work to delete NVRAM from remote is ssh and

nvram -c

But before better print out current NVRAM variables with

nvram -p

or in XML

nvram -xp