From owner-aic7xxx  Thu Dec 17 00:34:31 1998
Return-Path: <owner-aic7xxx@FreeBSD.ORG>
Received: (from majordom@localhost)
          by hub.freebsd.org (8.8.8/8.8.8) id AAA23945
          for aic7xxx-outgoing; Thu, 17 Dec 1998 00:34:31 -0800 (PST)
          (envelope-from owner-aic7xxx@FreeBSD.ORG)
Received: from ukaea.org.uk (gateway.ukaea.org.uk [194.128.63.74])
          by hub.freebsd.org (8.8.8/8.8.8) with ESMTP id AAA23937
          for <aic7xxx@FreeBSD.ORG>; Thu, 17 Dec 1998 00:34:29 -0800 (PST)
          (envelope-from nconway.list@ukaea.org.uk)
Received: by gateway.ukaea.org.uk id <66308>; Thu, 17 Dec 1998 08:31:32 +0000
Message-Id: <98Dec17.083132gmt.66308@gateway.ukaea.org.uk>
Date: Thu, 17 Dec 1998 08:32:58 +0000
From: Neil Conway <nconway.list@ukaea.org.uk>
Organization: Fusion
X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.06 [en] (X11; I; Linux 2.0.35 i686)
MIME-Version: 1.0
To: Doug Ledford <dledford@redhat.com>
CC: Stephane Bortzmeyer <stephane@sources.org>, aic7xxx@FreeBSD.ORG
Subject: Re: File corruption: how to find the guilty?
References: <199812161347.OAA02367@ludwigV.sources.org> <3677BCBE.46D77E3B@redhat.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
Sender: owner-aic7xxx@FreeBSD.ORG
Precedence: bulk
X-Loop: FreeBSD.org

Doug Ledford wrote:
> 
> Stephane Bortzmeyer wrote:
> >
> > I have a Linux box which shows random corruption of files. Example: all Perl
> > scripts suddenly die with "segmentation fault". Reinstalling the same Perl
> > package cures it. Two days ago, /etc/resolv.conf became corrupted : strange
> > characters were in it.
> >
> > I wonder what to do? Change the disk? The SCSI controller? The kernel?
> >
> > I run Linux 2.0.35 (Debian distribution 2.0), patched for the Adaptec driver
> > 5.1.2. Here is the configuration:
> 
> It's memory corruption.  I've seen this float through this list or that about
> 30 different times in the past.  Not once has it ever been a kernel or driver
> issue.  In *every* case it has been either RAM, cache, or CPU.  Check the CPU
> fan, check the cache (if it isn't part of the CPU) and check your RAM.

Well perhaps with a stable kernel this is the most likely culprit. 
However, it's dangerous to make blanket assertions - they come back to
haunt you.  Alan Cox was telling me last month about how 2.1.129 was
causing him random memory corruption leading to disk corruption, and
this turned out to be a kernel bug (nfs-related I think).

Neil

To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org
with "unsubscribe aic7xxx" in the body of the message