since we dont know what causes the problem we suspect
everything.
Possible problems:
1. Temperature. Can be checked with software.
2. BIOS bugs. Check the motherboard manufacturer's web
site for information and new versions. Do not install
the newest version, very often it is unstable or
untested.
3. 64bit linux kernel bugs. Solution: 32bit kernel.
4. Defective CPU. solution: downclock (but I think
this is impossible on Opterons, they are locked), less
CPU work (less utilization), change the CPUs with
other CPUs. (use warranty). Make sure you use a good
heatsink and fan.
5. Defective memory. Solution: buy new memory and
change it. (use warranty). Always buy REGISTERED and
ECC memory, never non-ECC, and always from well-known
manufacturers such as Kingston, Corsair, Crucial etc.
The memory should have its own passive cooling system
too (heatsink).
To check the CPU, the L2 cache, and the RAM, you can
use the MPrime Software from
www.mersenne.org
to check the memory you can use the memtest86 Software
from
www.memtest86.com
also test the hard disk surface for bad sectors
(although this should not cause such a problem).
Production software often has bugs. The only thing
that can assure you that something will run without
problems is its Years of Presence in the market. AMD64
is so new, it is untested. 32bit linux exists for so
many years and it is tested very well, so you can be
sure that if you install a 32bit kernel, your problem
(if you still have the crash problem) will not be
because of the 64bit kernel. However keep in mind
that, in general, 32bit software has 20% lower
performance than 64bit software on AMD Opterons.
--- Jimmy Wales <jwales(a)bomis.com> wrote:
The machine has 4 gig of memory, so yes, a 32 bit
kernel would be
fine. I have no objection to trying that, although
we should
recognize that we have no specific information to
cause us to think
that this is actually the problem.
SuSE ships this as production software, and I
generally trust them.
But, the machine is crashing, so...
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