linux-kernel - Re: [PATCH] x86: sysctl to allow panic on IOCK NMI error

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Message-ID: <alpine.LFD.2.00.0906302324350.23134@eddie.linux-mips.org>
Date:	Tue, 30 Jun 2009 23:27:57 +0100 (BST)
From:	"Maciej W. Rozycki" <macro@...ux-mips.org>
To:	Greg KH <gregkh@...e.de>
cc:	x86@...nel.org, "H. Peter Anvin" <hpa@...or.com>,
	Thomas Gleixner <tglx@...utronix.de>,
	Ingo Molnar <mingo@...e.hu>, Kurt Garloff <garloff@...e.de>,
	linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org
Subject: Re: [PATCH] x86: sysctl to allow panic on IOCK NMI error

On Wed, 24 Jun 2009, Greg KH wrote:

> This patch introduces a sysctl /proc/sys/kernel/panic_on_io_nmi, which
> defaults to 0 (off).
> 
> When enabled, the kernel panics when the kernel receives an NMI caused
> by an IO error.
> 
> The IO error triggered NMI indicates a serious system condition, which
> could result in IO data corruption. Rather than contiuing, panicing and
> dumping might be a better choice, so one can figure out what's causing
> the IO error.
> 
> This could be especially important to companies running IO intensive
> applications where corruption must be avoided, e.g. a banks databases.

 These days an IOCK NMI typically happens in response to a PCI SERR -- it 
may be useful to traverse PCI buses to find the offender and dump this 
information on this occasion too.  The south bridge may have additional 
status too.

  Maciej
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