Re: New reliability technique

["Jesper Juhl" <jesper.juhl@gmail.com>]

On 2/25/06, Avi Kivity <avi@argo.co.il> wrote:
> Jesper Juhl wrote:
>
> >On 2/25/06, Jesper Juhl <jesper.juhl@gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> >
> >>On 2/25/06, Victor Porton <porton@ex-code.com> wrote:
> >>
> >>
> >>>A minute ago I invented a new reliability enhancing technique.
> >>>
> >>>In idle cycles (or periodically in expense of some performance) Linux can
> >>>calculate MD5 or CRC sums of _unused_ (free) memory areas and compare these
> >>>sums with previously calculated sums.
> >>>
> >>>Additionally it can be done for allocated memory, if it will be write
> >>>protected before the first actual write. Moreover, all memory may be made
> >>>write-protected if it is not written e.g. more than a second. (When it
> >>>is written kernel would unlock it and allow to write, by a techniqie like
> >>>to how swap works.) If write-protected memory appears to be modified by
> >>>a check sum, this likewise indicates a bug.
> >>>
> >>>If a sum is inequal, it would notice a bug in kernel or in hardware.
> >>>
> >>>I suggest to add "Check free memory control sums" in config.
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>Implement it then and send a patch.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >
> >But, doesn't slab poisoning and the like already cover this ground somewhat?
> >
> >
> >
> No, they don't. They cover only a very small percentage of memory.
>

Ohh, ok, then it makes sense as a debug thing.

Let's see an implementation then.

--
Jesper Juhl <jesper.juhl@gmail.com>
Don't top-post  http://www.catb.org/~esr/jargon/html/T/top-post.html
Plain text mails only, please      http://www.expita.com/nomime.html
-
To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-kernel" in
the body of a message to majordomo@vger.kernel.org
More majordomo info at  http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html
Please read the FAQ at  http://www.tux.org/lkml/