Sun Fire[TM] 12K/15K/E20K/E25K Servers: POST settings for Memory Page Retirement support

Asset ID:	1-71-1011252.1
Update Date:	2012-07-30
Keywords:

Solution Type Technical Instruction Sure

Solution 1011252.1 : Sun Fire[TM] 12K/15K/E20K/E25K Servers: POST settings for Memory Page Retirement support

Applies to:

Sun Fire 12K Server
Sun Fire 15K Server
Sun Fire E20K Server
Sun Fire E25K Server
All Platforms

Goal

SMS 1.6 and SMS 1.5 (with patch 121091-03) have a new feature that allows for Solaris[TM] to handle correctable memory errors detected while running hpost.

Solution

With current versions of Solaris[TM], it is no longer necessary for POST to disable memory with a small number of correctable errors. After booting, the operating system can retire individual pages that have correctable errors.

See Technical Instruction Document 1009256.1 for which versions of Solaris[TM] 8 and 9 support memory page retirement (MPR). MPR is useful because it is not possible for POST to disable a single page or an individual DIMM. POST must disable an entire bank, for what may be a single correctable event.

In SMS 1.6, this feature is enabled by default. However, if the domain OS does not support MPR, one needs to disable this feature via a .postrc directive:

  mpr_support_disable

By adding this directive to the .postrc file, it will cause hpost to fail a dimm based on a single CE.

In SMS 1.5, MPR support is disabled by default. To enable this feature, add the following lie to the .postrc file:

  tolerate_mem_ce

Note: Due to Bug ID 6297086, lpost version 5.19.6 (via patch 121091-03) is required in order to enable this feature on SMS 1.5.

References:
Document 1009256.1 -- Solaris[TM] 8/9: When Is Page Retirement Enabled?
Document 1010905.1 -- Sun Enhanced Memory DIMM Replacement Policy
Document 1005247.1 -- Proper usage of post-tolerate-ce and mpr-support-enable on Midrange Servers

Product
Sun Fire E20K Server
Sun Fire E25K Server
Sun Fire 15K Server
Sun Fire 12K Server

Internal Section

Thanks to Ken Kambic for providing the intro paragraph in the document body (from Technical Instruction Document 1005247.1)

Keywords: MPR, Starcat, 20K, 25K, post, memory, page, retirement, CE

Previously Published As 85669

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