[vox-tech] ECC memory --- is it worth it? (semi-OT)

[Rick Moen]

Quoting hajhouse (hajhouse at houseag.com):

> How many of you are using non-ECC (standard) memory on long-uptime
> machines? Are you having any problems because of it? Do you think ECC is
> worth the premium?

Generally not on a Linux box -- because Linux boxen tend to give off
unmistakeable signs when the RAM develops defects, e.g., patterns of
kernel panics, segfaulting apps, and/or spontaneous reboots that you
quickly learn to recognise as such, if you play around for a while.  (I
actually _meant_ to keep around the last bad DIMM I had, for testing
RAM-testing software -- but forgot, and threw the thing away, dammit.)

Most other PeeCee OSes I've played with (NT-based systems, NetWare, to
some extent OS/2) are much more oblivious about bad RAM, but Linux tend
to throw a tantrum and let you know.

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