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So this is the second time in 2-3 months that my my dedicated box out at a unnamed host has had faulty memory in some shape or form. Is this normal or is my host just giving me cheap memory sticks? How can I find out?

Memory Issue 1:

EDAC MC0: UE row 0, channel-a= 2 channel-b= 3 labels "-": (Branch=1 DRAM-Bank=7 RDWR=Write RAS=32679 CAS=0 FATAL Err=0x4 (>Tmid Thermal event with intelligent throttling disabled))

Memory Issue 2:

 EDAC MC0: UE row 0, channel-a= 0 channel-b= 1 labels "-": (Branch=0 DRAM-Bank=0 RDWR=Read RAS=0 CAS=0, UE Err=0x2 (Aliased Uncorrectable Non-Mirrored Demand Data ECC))

Specs:

  • Dual Intel quad-core server with Intel 5400 Series Harpertown processors
  • Up to 24GB DDR2-FBDIMM 667Mhz memory
  • CentOS 5.6 (Final)
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Give me a down vote and at least tell me why. This is a server fault, a valid concern for me. – utility Sep 2 '11 at 13:45
1  
I'm assuming you've figured out that your unnamed memory error is related to hardware. It sounds more like a customer support issue for your unnamed hosting provider. – Nixphoe Sep 2 '11 at 13:53
3  
If you're really that bothered about the downvote, it was mine. There is literally nothing we can do to help you. You need to take this up with your host, and if you're not satisfied then escalate it with them and make a big fuss. If you're still not satisfied, demand a refund and take your business elsewhere. We can help with absolutely none of those things. – Ben Pilbrow Sep 2 '11 at 13:56
In my first post the main point was "How can I find out if the host is giving me cheap memory." I only want to know this before I make the fuss with them. The other information in the post was to be informative. Appreciate your help. – utility Sep 2 '11 at 13:59
4  
You should ask them if it's cheap memory, and you need to trust what they tell you. If you don't trust their word, then move. Again, I'm sorry but we can't help you. – Ben Pilbrow Sep 2 '11 at 14:00
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2 Answers

up vote 4 down vote accepted

There is only one answer to this. Move to another provider. You are wasting your time "figuring out" things. Your time is too valuable.

If a vendor screws up once and gives you bad hardware you complain and if they handle it well (quick and efficient, simple apology and assurance it is unusual, off-set billing to make it up, etc.) then that is a reason to stay with them.

If the exact same failure happens twice, then you just leave. It isn't worth your time and money to fix them, figure them out, or determine what else to do. Just find a new vendor with a good reputation and equivalent services and let these people know you want out of your contract because of repeated hardware outages.

If you have root access to the machine there are a number of system information packages that can often determine the memory type and brand but none are particularly reliable. Unless you are running high-end hardware (HP, IBM, etc.) the base memory architecture on vanilla machines doesn't really expose a lot of meta-data about the hardware.

aside: also, as the down voting and comments show, this question would be more appropriate on webhosting discussion forums. This is a site for systems administrators dealing with technical problems. If you lack physical access or root access to your machines we're unlikely to be able to help you much. For lower-level tech questions the sister sites http://superuser.com/ or http://unix.stackexchange.com/ might be more helpful.

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Appreciate your insight. I thought the sysadmins here would be helpful and your spot on about wasting my time with it. – utility Sep 2 '11 at 14:34
up vote 1 down vote

Have you got physical access to the machine ? Box Manufacturer ? Operating system ?

No, faulty memory is not usual IMHO.

If using linux you can use memtest86 to find out any memory errors if you suspect that there could be any.

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We do not have access to the box. It's out at a hosting company which is pretty reputable for our platform. Edited my question to answer the os question. – utility Sep 2 '11 at 13:38
By access you mean physical access, out of band access (IPMI, LOM) or ssh access? – Mircea Vutcovici Sep 2 '11 at 13:51
Unable to run memtest86 as it is a managed box by them and root access is disabled. – utility Sep 2 '11 at 14:00
If it is a managed box, then you can do nothing about hardware errors. But hosting companies usually use good hardware, their business depends on it after all (and usually yours!). – drcelus Sep 2 '11 at 14:15

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