Dell PowerEdge 2300 Installation And Troubleshooting Manual page 61

The RAM Test Group subtests check all the directly addressable RAM.
Three subtests are available for RAM: the Quick Memory Test, the Comprehensive
Memory Test, and the Cache Memory Test. The Quick Memory Test performs an
address check to determine whether the computer is properly setting and clearing
individual bits in RAM and whether the RAM read and write operations are affecting
more than one memory address location at one time. This subtest checks all available
RAM.
The Comprehensive Memory Test performs an address check as well as the
following:
Data pattern checks, to look for RAM bits that are stuck high or low, short-
circuited data lines, and some data pattern problems that are internal to the
memory chips
A parity check that verifies the ability of the memory subsystem to detect errors
A refresh check, to verify that the dynamic RAM (DRAM) is being recharged
properly
The Cache Memory Test confirms the functionality of the computer's cache controller
chip and the cache memory.
Faulty memory can cause a variety of problems that may not appear to be happening
in RAM. If the computer is displaying one or more of the following symptoms, run the
subtests in the RAM Test Group to verify that the memory is not at fault:
A program is not running as usual, or a proven piece of software appears to mal-
function and you confirm that the software itself is not at fault. (You can confirm
that the software is functioning properly by moving it to another computer and
running it there.)
The computer periodically locks up (becomes un-usable and must be rebooted),
especially at different places and times in different programs.
You get a parity error (any error message that contains the word parity ) at any
time during operation. These errors are usually accompanied by a reference to an
address —the location of the portion of memory where the error occurred—which
you should record on a copy of the Diagnostics Checklist found in Chapter 11,
"Getting Help."
You receive the Memory ECC fault detected message from the Dell Hard-
ware Instrumentation Package (HIP) server management application. See
Chapter 3, "Messages and Codes," for more information on this program.
Running the Dell Diagnostics 5-13