On Wed, Feb 20, 2019 at 08:18:59PM +1100, Morrie Wyatt via luv-main wrote:
The ECC warnings just mean that either your motherboard doesn't support ECC error correcting RAM, or that you don't have ECC RAM installed.
AFAIK, you see it when the motherboard supports ECC RAM but you only have non-ECC RAM installed - the kernel doesn't even try to load the ECC module unless it detects that the hardware is capable of ECC. I see this warning all the time on my machines (all with AMD CPUs - currently a Phenom II 1090T, an FX-8150 and an FX-8320, and a Threadripper 1950x). As you say, it's not something to worry about unless, of course, you KNOW you paid extra for ECC RAM and it SHOULD be detected :) ECC RAM typically costs at least 30% more than non-ECC RAM and it's typically not available in stock in most whitebox computer shops, it's a special request you have to go out of your way to ask for or find - so, unless you've re-purposed an old server machine, it's not likely to be something that someone has and doesn't know about.
Typically you will only find ECC support on server motherboards, not comsumer level motherboards.
Most AMD motherboards supporting Phenom II, FX or newer CPUs support both ECC and non-ECC RAM. i.e. since at least 2008 or so. Intel motherboards and CPUs typically don't support ECC unless you've bought a "server" motherboard and CPU. Intel likes to engage in artificial market segmentation to prevent customers from using cheaper CPUs and motherboards for what they consider to be high-end server tasks. because near-monopoly allows them to get away with shit like that. craig -- craig sanders <cas@taz.net.au>