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What happens when a MP detects an unrecoverable ECC error?
- Thread starter frou
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ActionableMango
macrumors G3
About this System, System Profile, Hardware, Memory. This just has a simple count of errors, or at least I assume so because I've never seen one.
The system log also contains ECC errors, but again I've never seen one so I don't know what it looks like or if it tracks recovered and unrecovered ECC errors differently.
The system log also contains ECC errors, but again I've never seen one so I don't know what it looks like or if it tracks recovered and unrecovered ECC errors differently.
pastrychef
macrumors 601
This happened to me before on my MacPro1,1. I had to replace the RAM. The RAM in the 1,1 and 2,1 ran way too hot...
h9826790
macrumors P6
I think it only happen if that error is critical. There are lots of stuff in the RAM, and not necessary system / OS related.
William_si
macrumors regular
As any X56xx server system it will continue to run usually fine, profiler should show what stick to replace.
Need to find a broken dimm and can probably find out more then, was long time i've seen any ECC errors (10.8)...
Need to find a broken dimm and can probably find out more then, was long time i've seen any ECC errors (10.8)...
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AidenShaw
macrumors P6
Windows blue-screens on an uncorrectable error - and I think that is definitely the appropriate action to take - even if it's a one bit error in the cat video that you're watching.
Crash the system, don't write out corrupted data.
I have seen systems that would look at the nature of an error, and a process-local error in userland memory would kill the process (but you had a config option to make it a blue screen).
h9826790
macrumors P6
Got it, and make perfect sense to me. Good to learn this idea, thanks! However, is macOS doing this way?
Mac Pro is the only Mac that has ECC RAM, all other Macs (may be up to 99%) do not have the ability to realise that there is an unrecoverable error (but simply do not know there is an error?). I doubt if Apple will handle the system in this way. You know, for most of us (non computer expert - their target customers), usually think Apple OS is good because their system rarely crash. But we don't know that a good OS should intentional crash the system when something goes wrong. I have a feeling that Apple tends to let the system run with errors, try to hide the error (or hope the error won't be strong enough to crash the system), and then tell their customers how good their system is. 😵
Macschrauber
macrumors 68040
I have seen these errors when running the ASD Test on a Mac Pro 1.1 - due to bad or overheating Ram. Also the Status in System Profiler / Memory went from ok to ecc error (cant remember the exact writings)