linux-kernel - Re: [PATCH] x86_64: simplify the memtest parameter setting

lists.openwall.net		lists / announce owl-users owl-dev john-users john-dev passwdqc-users yescrypt popa3d-users / oss-security kernel-hardening musl sabotage tlsify passwords / crypt-dev xvendor / Bugtraq Full-Disclosure linux-kernel linux-netdev linux-ext4 linux-hardening linux-cve-announce PHC
Open Source and information security mailing list archives

Hash Suite: Windows password security audit tool. GUI, reports in PDF.

[<prev] [next>] [<thread-prev] [day] [month] [year] [list]

Message-ID: <4809AB57.6050103@s5r6.in-berlin.de>
Date:	Sat, 19 Apr 2008 10:20:39 +0200
From:	Stefan Richter <stefanr@...6.in-berlin.de>
To:	Yinghai Lu <yhlu.kernel@...il.com>
CC:	Frans Pop <elendil@...net.nl>,
	Yinghai Lu <yhlu.kernel.send@...il.com>, mingo@...e.hu,
	akpm@...ux-foundation.org, tglx@...utronix.de, hpa@...or.com,
	linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org
Subject: Re: [PATCH] x86_64: simplify the memtest parameter setting

> On Fri, Apr 18, 2008 at 7:15 PM, Frans Pop <elendil@...net.nl> wrote:
>>  the new description is probably too short.
>>  The phrase "allows memtest to be set" does not really mean anything to a
>>  user who does not know what memtest really does. It also does not explain
>>  that memtest is a boot parameter.
>>
>>  Also, it should probably be made more explicit that no memtest is actually
>>  performed unless the memtest boot parameter is passed at the boot prompt.
>>
>>  Looks like 4 is the maximum possible value. This should be mentioned
>>  explicitly (here as well as in Documentation/kernel-parameters.txt).

To add to this:  The help text should IMO contain
   - that a test for faulty RAM is being added if Y,
   - that this feature can be controlled by the boot parameter
     (and, per the parameter's default, is normally off),
   - how many loops with which data patterns are performed depending
     on the boot parameter value,
   - how long this might take (so that nobody who hears of this for
     the first time enables it e.g. on a server which is supposed to
     not take too long to reboot),
   - how reliable the results of this test are (I presume that some
     faults can only be found by many repeated re-runs of the memory
     tester),
   - that saying Y slightly (?) increases the size of the kernel image
     but does not influence the kernel size after boot-up is completed.

Thanks,
-- 
Stefan Richter
-=====-==--- -=-- =--==
http://arcgraph.de/sr/
--
To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-kernel" in
the body of a message to majordomo@...r.kernel.org
More majordomo info at  http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html
Please read the FAQ at  http://www.tux.org/lkml/