Subject: Re: Processor correctavke error?
To: None <kenh@cmf.nrl.navy.mil>
From: Matthew Jacob <mjacob@feral.com>
List: port-alpha
Date: 06/10/1998 14:43:01
I mean 'what PCI cards'....



>I'm wondering what "Processor correctable error" really _means_, though.
>I don't know much about the Alpha at that level, so it's got me mystified.


I should let Chris, Ross or Jason answer this- they'll do a much
more complete and clearer explanation than I can. Basically, though,
there are correctable and uncorrectable errors that are either detected
the 'system' (which is very platform specific how this actually
is detected) or by a 'processor' (CPU). Essentially these are
error interrupts. Processor correctable errors are usually transient
CPU cache errors. System correctable errors are usually transient
memory errors (e.g., Parity).. In a lot of the alpha platforms, these
are "FYI" kinds of errors. In the TurboLaser (AlphaServer) this can
be a report of an ECC error which then the system is expected to
initiate an ECC memory scrub to recover from (which I'm in the
middle of wandering towards getting done)- which has the peculiar
effect of printing on the console "System Correctable Error"
whereupon the system freezes and *doesn't* recover (correct). A
loud "Not!" seems appropriate until I finish this.