Corrected memory error events can be logged in the Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 System Event Log as Microsoft Windows Hardware Error Architecture (WHEA) Warning Event ID 47, or in Linux Machine Check Event (MCE) logs.
There might be no related Predictive Failure Analysis (PFA) events in the Integrated Management Module (IMM) log, or Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI) logs.
Source
RETAIN tip: H202674
Symptom
Corrected memory error events can be logged in the Microsoft
Windows Server 2008 R2 System Event Log as Microsoft Windows
Hardware Error Architecture (WHEA) Warning Event ID 47, or in Linux
Machine Check Event (MCE) logs.
There might be no related Predictive Failure Analysis (PFA)
events in the Integrated Management Module (IMM) log, or
Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI) logs.
Affected Configurations
The system can be any of the following IBM servers:
- System x3400 M2, type 7836, any model
- System x3400 M2, type 7837, any model
- System x3400 M3, type 7378, any model
- System x3400 M3, type 7379, any model
- System x3500 M2, type 7839, any model
- System x3500 M3, type 7380, any model
- System x3550 M2, type 4198, any model
- System x3550 M2, type 7946, any model
- System x3550 M3, type 4254, any model
- System x3550 M3, type 7944, any model
- System x3620 M3, type 7376, any model
- System x3630 M3, type 7377, any model
- System x3650 M2, type 4199, any model
- System x3650 M2, type 7947, any model
- System x3650 M3, type 4255, any model
- System x3650 M3, type 7945, any model
- System x3690 X5, type 7148, any model
- System x3690 X5, type 7149, any model
- System x3850 X5, type 7145, any model
- System x3850 X5, type 7146, any model
- System x3950 X5, type 7145, any model
- iDataPlex dx360 M2 Server, type 6380, any model
- iDataPlex dx360 M2 Server, type 7321, any model
- iDataPlex dx360 M2 Server, type 7323, any model
- iDataPlex dx360 M3 Server, type 6391, any model
The system is configured with at least one of the following
operating systems:
- Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 Datacenter, any Service
Pack
- Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 Enterprise, any Service
Pack
- Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 Standard, any Service
Pack
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5, any update
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6, any update
- SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10, any Service Pack
- SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11, any Service Pack
This tip is not option specific.
The following system BIOS/UEFI levels are affected:
- Build ID: G0E140A and earlier levels
The system has the symptom described above.
Note: This does not imply that the network operating
system will work under all combinations of hardware and
software.
Please see the compatibility page for more information:
http://www.ibm.com/systems/info/x86servers/serverproven/compat/us/
Solution
The fix is available in all Unified Extensible Firmware
Interface (UEFI) firmware releases since June, 2011.
The file is available by selecting the appropriate Product name,
Product machine type, and Operating system on IBM Support's Fix
Central web page, at the following URL:
For Linux distributions, the referenced UEFI fix works in
conjunction with the 'mce=bios_cmci_threshold' option, available in
Linux kernel version 3.7.
Check with your Linux vendor for the availability of this
option.
Workaround
IBM Client Support personnel can refer to the IBM internal
document RETAIN Tip H202601
(MIGR-5087275) for additional information.
Additional Information
Single bit memory errors are detected and automatically
corrected by Error Correction Circuits (ECC) computer memory
technology, with no impact on performance. IBM's UEFI tracks
corrected memory errors and logs an event to the IMM if too many
errors occur. The events are based on an platform-specific
algorithm that is optimized for performance, reliability, and
availability.
An advanced corrected error alerting architecture was introduced
in Intel Nehalem processors that allows operating systems to enable
the processor to alert them for corrected memory occurrences using
Intel's Machine Check Architecture. Newer releases of operating
systems, like Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2, can enable these
alerts.
If the Corrected Machine Check Interrupt (CMCI) alerts have been
enabled by the operating system, and the CMCI threshold has been
left at the default setting of '1,' then the operating system
attempts to respond to and log every corrected error event. This
can impact the operating system performance. Also, because the
operating system is not aware of the platform-specific
configuration, it might not be able to identify the specific,
affected memory Dual In-Line Memory Module (DIMM).
The UEFI released in June, 2011, sets the operating system CMCI
threshold during Power On Self Test (POST), to a value that insures
that the optimized logging of any affected DIMM issue by the UEFI
will take precedence over that of the operating system.
However, Linux kernels that enable CMCI logging will overwrite
the UEFI CMCI threshold to a default value of '1' when the
operating system starts. Windows Server honors the UEFI CMCI
threshold setting and does not overwrite the UEFI setting.
Beginning with Linux kernel v3.7, a new MCE option is available
that honors the UEFI CMCI threshold. To enable Linux to use
UEFI-set thresholds, the kernel should be passed the
'mce=bios_cmci_threshold' option. This usually is done by adding
this option in the start loader configuration (usually:
'/start/GRUB/menu.lst').
System x:Windows Server 2008
System x:Windows Server 2008 x86-64 & 2008 R2
System x:Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5
System x:Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 x86-64
System x:SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10
System x:SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10 x86-64
System x:Red Hat Linux 6
System x:SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11
System x:SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11 x86-64
System x:Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
System x:Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 x86-64
Applicable countries and regions
[{"Type":"HW","Business Unit":{"code":"BU016","label":"Multiple Vendor Support"},"Product":{"code":"QU03TEU","label":"System x->System x iDataPlex dx360 M2 server->7323"},"Platform":[{"code":"PF042","label":"Caldera"},{"code":"PF047","label":"SurePOS"},{"code":"PF033","label":"Windows"}],"Line of Business":{"code":"","label":""}},{"Type":"HW","Business Unit":{"code":"BU016","label":"Multiple Vendor Support"},"Product":{"code":"QU03VIF","label":"System x->System x iDataPlex dx360 M2 server->7321"},"Platform":[{"code":"PF042","label":"Caldera"},{"code":"PF047","label":"SurePOS"},{"code":"PF033","label":"Windows"}],"Line of Business":{"code":"","label":""}},{"Type":"HW","Business Unit":{"code":"BU016","label":"Multiple Vendor Support"},"Product":{"code":"QU03WCX","label":"System x->System x3650 M2->7947"},"Platform":[{"code":"PF042","label":"Caldera"},{"code":"PF047","label":"SurePOS"},{"code":"PF033","label":"Windows"}],"Line of Business":{"code":"","label":""}},{"Type":"HW","Business Unit":{"code":"BU016","label":"Multiple Vendor Support"},"Product":{"code":"QU03WKC","label":"System x->System x3550 M2->7946"},"Platform":[{"code":"PF042","label":"Caldera"},{"code":"PF047","label":"SurePOS"},{"code":"PF033","label":"Windows"}],"Line of Business":{"code":"","label":""}},{"Type":"HW","Business Unit":{"code":"BU054","label":"Systems w\/TPS"},"Product":{"code":"QU03WSY","label":"System x->System x iDataPlex dx360 M2 server->6380"},"Platform":[{"code":"PF042","label":"Caldera"},{"code":"PF047","label":"SurePOS"},{"code":"PF033","label":"Windows"}],"Line of Business":{"code":"","label":""}},{"Type":"HW","Business Unit":{"code":"BU054","label":"Systems w\/TPS"},"Product":{"code":"QU03WTQ","label":"System x->System x3550 M2->4198"},"Platform":[{"code":"PF042","label":"Caldera"},{"code":"PF047","label":"SurePOS"},{"code":"PF033","label":"Windows"}],"Line of Business":{"code":"","label":""}},{"Type":"HW","Business Unit":{"code":"BU054","label":"Systems w\/TPS"},"Product":{"code":"QU03WTS","label":"System x->System x3650 M2->4199"},"Platform":[{"code":"PF042","label":"Caldera"},{"code":"PF047","label":"SurePOS"},{"code":"PF033","label":"Windows"}],"Line of Business":{"code":"","label":""}},{"Type":"HW","Business Unit":{"code":"BU016","label":"Multiple Vendor Support"},"Product":{"code":"QU03XIC","label":"System x->System x3400 M2->7836"},"Platform":[{"code":"PF042","label":"Caldera"},{"code":"PF047","label":"SurePOS"},{"code":"PF033","label":"Windows"}],"Line of Business":{"code":"","label":""}},{"Type":"HW","Business Unit":{"code":"BU054","label":"Systems w\/TPS"},"Product":{"code":"QU03XIF","label":"System x->System x3400 M2->7837"},"Platform":[{"code":"PF042","label":"Caldera"},{"code":"PF047","label":"SurePOS"},{"code":"PF033","label":"Windows"}],"Line of Business":{"code":"","label":""}},{"Type":"HW","Business Unit":{"code":"BU016","label":"Multiple Vendor Support"},"Product":{"code":"QU03XIH","label":"System x->System x3500 M2->7839"},"Platform":[{"code":"PF042","label":"Caldera"},{"code":"PF047","label":"SurePOS"},{"code":"PF033","label":"Windows"}],"Line of Business":{"code":"","label":""}},{"Type":"HW","Business Unit":{"code":"BU016","label":"Multiple Vendor Support"},"Product":{"code":"QU04SLL","label":"System x->System x3650 M3->7945"},"Platform":[{"code":"PF042","label":"Caldera"},{"code":"PF047","label":"SurePOS"},{"code":"PF033","label":"Windows"}],"Line of Business":{"code":"","label":""}},{"Type":"HW","Business Unit":{"code":"BU016","label":"Multiple Vendor Support"},"Product":{"code":"QU04SMA","label":"System x->System x3550 M3->7944"},"Platform":[{"code":"PF042","label":"Caldera"},{"code":"PF047","label":"SurePOS"},{"code":"PF033","label":"Windows"}],"Line of Business":{"code":"","label":""}},{"Type":"HW","Business Unit":{"code":"BU016","label":"Multiple Vendor Support"},"Product":{"code":"QU04SMO","label":"System x->System x iDataPlex dx360 M3 server->6391"},"Platform":[{"code":"PF042","label":"Caldera"},{"code":"PF047","label":"SurePOS"},{"code":"PF033","label":"Windows"}],"Line of Business":{"code":"","label":""}},{"Type":"HW","Business Unit":{"code":"BU016","label":"Multiple Vendor Support"},"Product":{"code":"QU04SNM","label":"System x->System x3400 M3->7378"},"Platform":[{"code":"PF042","label":"Caldera"},{"code":"PF047","label":"SurePOS"},{"code":"PF033","label":"Windows"}],"Line of Business":{"code":"","label":""}},{"Type":"HW","Business Unit":{"code":"BU054","label":"Systems w\/TPS"},"Product":{"code":"QU04SNO","label":"System x->System x3400 M3->7379"},"Platform":[{"code":"PF042","label":"Caldera"},{"code":"PF047","label":"SurePOS"},{"code":"PF033","label":"Windows"}],"Line of Business":{"code":"","label":""}},{"Type":"HW","Business Unit":{"code":"BU016","label":"Multiple Vendor Support"},"Product":{"code":"QU04SOK","label":"System x->System x3500 M3->7380"},"Platform":[{"code":"PF042","label":"Caldera"},{"code":"PF047","label":"SurePOS"},{"code":"PF033","label":"Windows"}],"Line of Business":{"code":"","label":""}},{"Type":"HW","Business Unit":{"code":"BU054","label":"Systems w\/TPS"},"Product":{"code":"QU04SPC","label":"System x->System x3550 M3->4254"},"Platform":[{"code":"PF042","label":"Caldera"},{"code":"PF047","label":"SurePOS"},{"code":"PF033","label":"Windows"}],"Line of Business":{"code":"","label":""}},{"Type":"HW","Business Unit":{"code":"BU016","label":"Multiple Vendor Support"},"Product":{"code":"QU04SPI","label":"System x->System x3650 M3->4255"},"Platform":[{"code":"PF042","label":"Caldera"},{"code":"PF047","label":"SurePOS"},{"code":"PF033","label":"Windows"}],"Line of Business":{"code":"","label":""}},{"Type":"HW","Business Unit":{"code":"BU016","label":"Multiple Vendor Support"},"Product":{"code":"QU04SRF","label":"System x->System x3850 X5->7146"},"Platform":[{"code":"PF042","label":"Caldera"},{"code":"PF047","label":"SurePOS"},{"code":"PF033","label":"Windows"}],"Line of Business":{"code":"","label":""}},{"Type":"HW","Business Unit":{"code":"BU016","label":"Multiple Vendor Support"},"Product":{"code":"QU04SRO","label":"System x->System x3850 X5->7145"},"Platform":[{"code":"PF042","label":"Caldera"},{"code":"PF047","label":"SurePOS"},{"code":"PF033","label":"Windows"}],"Line of Business":{"code":"","label":""}},{"Type":"HW","Business Unit":{"code":"BU016","label":"Multiple Vendor Support"},"Product":{"code":"QU04SZB","label":"System x->System x3950 X5->7145"},"Platform":[{"code":"PF042","label":"Caldera"},{"code":"PF047","label":"SurePOS"},{"code":"PF033","label":"Windows"}],"Line of Business":{"code":"","label":""}},{"Type":"HW","Business Unit":{"code":"BU016","label":"Multiple Vendor Support"},"Product":{"code":"QU04WDX","label":"System x->System x3690 X5->7149"},"Platform":[{"code":"PF042","label":"Caldera"},{"code":"PF047","label":"SurePOS"},{"code":"PF033","label":"Windows"}],"Line of Business":{"code":"","label":""}},{"Type":"HW","Business Unit":{"code":"BU016","label":"Multiple Vendor Support"},"Product":{"code":"QU04WDY","label":"System x->System x3690 X5->7148"},"Platform":[{"code":"PF042","label":"Caldera"},{"code":"PF047","label":"SurePOS"},{"code":"PF033","label":"Windows"}],"Line of Business":{"code":"","label":""}},{"Type":"HW","Business Unit":{"code":"BU016","label":"Multiple Vendor Support"},"Product":{"code":"QU90ABB","label":"System x->System x3620 M3->7376"},"Platform":[{"code":"PF042","label":"Caldera"},{"code":"PF047","label":"SurePOS"},{"code":"PF033","label":"Windows"}],"Line of Business":{"code":"","label":""}},{"Type":"HW","Business Unit":{"code":"BU016","label":"Multiple Vendor Support"},"Product":{"code":"QU90ABC","label":"System x->System x3630 M3->7377"},"Platform":[{"code":"PF042","label":"Caldera"},{"code":"PF047","label":"SurePOS"},{"code":"PF033","label":"Windows"}],"Line of Business":{"code":"","label":""}}]