Pavel Machek wrote:
On Sat 2007-12-22 13:42:47, Richard D wrote:
Cant you, modify bootmem allocator to test with memtest patterns and then
use kexec (as Pavel suggested) to test the one where kernel was sitting
earlier?
I do not think you need to modify anything in kernel. Just use
/dev/mem to test areas that kernel doesn't see, then kexec into place
you already tested, and test the rest.
That's still an insufficient test. One failure mode is writes at one
location corrupting cells at another.
The idea of wanting to do comprehensive and robust memory testing from
within the operating system seems dubious at best, to me. If there is
something wrong with memtest86, doing the tests from within Linux is not
the answer. The answer is to fix memtest86. If the problem is that you
automation, e.g. switching a server from production to memory test mode
at midnight and back again at 6am, the answer is still to "fix"
memtest86. Writing something that grabs some physical RAM from Linux's
control, tests it, and then moves the kernel itself so that it can test
the rest, is adding a whole extra layer of complexity to an already
challenging (I assume, based on errors that dedicated software-based
testers miss) problem.
Give up on this misguided idea and build on the best tools that are
already available.
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