Subject: Re: Decoding machine checks...
To: None <kpneal@pobox.com>
From: Sean Davis <dive@endersgame.net>
List: port-alpha
Date: 09/12/2003 21:09:07
On Fri, Sep 12, 2003 at 08:42:10PM -0400, kpneal@pobox.com wrote:
> I've got a 164LX. I've been getting "processor correctable error"
> messages in the past few days. Now mozilla seems to be able to
> crash my box multiple times a day. Big bummer.
> 
> >From the crash that happened just a few minutes ago I got this:
> 
> 97 496 495 494 493 492 491 490 489 488 487 486 485 484 483 482 481 480 479 478 4
> 77 476 475 474 473 472 471 470 469 468 467 466 465 464 463 462 461 460 459 
> unexpected machine check:
> 
>     mces    = 0x1
>     vector  = 0x660
>     param   = 0xfffffc0000006068
>     pc      = 0xfffffc00004fc8c8
>     ra      = 0xfffffc0000309abc
>     code    = 0x203
>     curproc = 0xfffffc0005124e68
>         pid = 467, comm = mozilla-bin
> 
> panic: machine check
> 
> dumping to dev 8,9 offset 4191
> dump device not ready
> 
> 
> Now, I know why the dump device isn't ready: It was dumping because
> of a machine check. When it got a check in the middle of the dump it
> couldn't deal. 
> 
> I think the first crash had a vector of 0x670. I didn't write down
> the whole message because I thought I could get it from the dmesg.
> Oops, overflowed the buffer. Is there a ddb command to reboot without
> a dump? I'll have to check.

'reboot' in DDB will reboot without a dump, IIRC.

> Anyway, what do these machine checks mean? Is this a bad CPU? Bad board?
> Bad memory? I've got a gig of memory, should I yank half of it?

Machine checks typically mean hardware is dying somewhere, from everything
I've read. 

I found a URL a while back that had lots of information on misc. machine
check codes and what they meant, but
http://www.netbsd.org/Ports/alpha/faq.html#machine-check-panic
says that:

A '660' vector usually means `memory ECC error'.

> Are there any public docs so I can just look this up myself?
Yes, some, but I can't remember the URLs and I didn't save them anywhere,
sorry :\

-Sean

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