[X4U] RAM lessons even the stubborn can learn

[Zane H. Healy]

At 6:32 PM +0000 11/28/05, Stroller wrote:
>On Nov 28, 2005, at 6:00 pm, Richard Gilmore wrote:
>>On 27/11/05 1:26 AM, "wjsjlauffen at t-online.de" <wjsjlauffen at t-online.de>
>>wrote:
>>
>>>On Sat, 26 Nov 2005 11:32:55 -0800 (PST),
>>>x4u-request at listserver.themacintoshguy.com wrote:
>>>>modern Mac's that they're so
>>>>blasted touchy when it comes to RAM.
>>>
>>>that is supposed to be a characteristic of all Unix flavors.
>>
>>Is this true? I've never had a RAM problem and all I use is no name type RAM
>>including my Linux box.
>
>I would say it's more a characteristic of proprietary Unices.
>
>My 1990s SGI workstations were very expensive machines when new and 
>both have very specific RAM requirements. Linux on the other hand is 
>much more widely deployed on cheaper commodity hardware.

It's more a characteristic of the HW.  For example...

Can use standard RAM:
DEC AlphaStation 200 4/233
DEC PWS 433au
SGI Indigo 2
Sun Ultra 10

Need special RAM:
DEC AlphaStation 500/333
SGI O2
Sun Ultra 60

I think an SGI Octane can use the same RAM that works in a Sun Ultra 
10, but I don't have an Octane to make sure I'm right.

In the case of the DEC PWS Series, you can actually run RAM that is 
quite a bit out of Spec, though it gets *seriously* out of spec, the 
system starts crashing :^)

Of course as David pointed out on Sunday, such boxes use ECC RAM, 
rather than the non-ECC RAM modern Mac's use.  High-end x86 systems 
(especially servers) also use ECC RAM.  The last Mac I had that would 
use ECC RAM was my PowerMac 8500, my G4/450 AGP system most 
definitely didn't like ECC RAM, *but* it wasn't that picky about the 
RAM that I could put in it.

There is something to be said for using fairly standard non-ECC RAM, 
it tends to be a lot cheaper.  A 2GB kit for my G5 2x2 still costs 
less than a 256MB kit for my AlphaStation 500/333 (I bought the PWS 
for less than the RAM would have cost me a few years ago).

	Zane


-- 
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| Zane H. Healy                    | UNIX Systems Administrator |
| healyzh at aracnet.com (primary)    | OpenVMS Enthusiast         |
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