topic Re: System event log in Operating System - Linux

System event log

James Zuelow — Fri, 12 Jan 2007 22:22:59 GMT

My dmidecode output shows some ECC memory errors. The only ECC memory on this board (a dv9000z) is in the L1 and L2 caches. The BIOS (F.1A) utility doesn't have much in the way of information.

How do I see the system event log? Can I do it from Windows?

The numbers don't change, and I've never had a POST failure since owning the laptop. Could this be an artifact from building/testing the laptop?

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Handle 0x000B, DMI type 15, 29 bytes
System Event Log
Area Length: 16 bytes
Header Start Offset: 0x0000
Header Length: 16 bytes
Data Start Offset: 0x0010
Access Method: General-purpose non-volatile data functions
Access Address: 0x0000
Status: Valid, Not Full
Change Token: 0x0000005D
Header Format: Type 1
Supported Log Type Descriptors: 3
Descriptor 1: POST error
Data Format 1: POST results bitmap
Descriptor 2: Single-bit ECC memory error
Data Format 2: Multiple-event
Descriptor 3: Multi-bit ECC memory error
Data Format 3: Multiple-event
Descriptor 3: Multi-bit ECC memory error
Data Format 3: Multiple-event

Re: System event log

Jerome Henry — Sat, 13 Jan 2007 10:57:09 GMT

Can you be more specific ? What kernel do you run ? On which machine ?
On kernel 2.6.15 and earlier, I remember there was an instruction preventing the kernel from panicking if it detected a ioapic which wasn't really present, which was classical on laptops board.
So it was to be ignored, but still we used to recommend to run noapic in the kernel option.

J

Re: System event log

Jerome Henry — Sat, 13 Jan 2007 10:57:37 GMT

Re: System event log

James Zuelow — Sat, 13 Jan 2007 13:19:47 GMT

Thanks Jeremy - I know how to read the syslog/dmesg. I wasn't clear in my initial post, I apologise.

I am running the Debian AMD64 2.6.18-5 kernel.

The dmidecode output is reporting the system event log maintained in the machine's BIOS, not the OS. The alternative smbios tools are pretty much written around BIOS calls used by another company owned by a guy named Mike (which is a shame - I'd like to set my asset tag).

On some BIOS's (typically server BIOS by a well known company associated with the color blue) the user can browse an event log. That isn't the case with the dv9000z BIOS. This user interface is really limited to showing me the system time, some basic memory & disk info, and setting the boot order. Probably to protect the customer from making the system unbootable. I can't even watch the POST process. However it does **RECORD** an event log. And it hasn't beeped at me or otherwise told me about any POST failures since I've had the laptop (a week ago tomorrow).

I just want to read the BIOS event log and maybe clear it.

If dmidecode or smbios can't show me the log, I was wondering if there isn't some HP utility that would allow me to interact with the BIOS event log and see if the ECC errors cluster about the same time as the machine was built. Or, if there is no date, to clear the event log so I can tell if the problems continue.

I retained my XP partition, so if that utility is Windows based I can still use it.

Cheers,

James

Re: System event log

Vitaly Karasik_1 — Sun, 14 Jan 2007 02:52:30 GMT

I suggest you to check HP webpage for your hardware model.

Re: System event log

Zeev Schultz — Sun, 14 Jan 2007 08:33:52 GMT

Try using this one:

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c00372177&lc=en&cc=us〈=en&query=dv9000z&product=3224049&dlc=en

It doesn't look that you notebook supports Linux officially,so I wouldn't count on any linux tools. As well I do beleive that in most cases CPU cache multi-bit errors would lead to system crashes or at least POST failures:)

Re: System event log

James Zuelow — Sun, 14 Jan 2007 11:53:20 GMT

Thanks Zeev. That's probably the most detailed tool available for a consumer laptop until the Linux side figures out how to extract this information from nForce 430 chipsets.

I suppose the entry could be just describing the kinds of log entries that are made, but I do not see anything similar on any of the machines I have access to.

Since it hasn't failed a POST for me I'll assume that.

Re: System event log

James Zuelow — Sun, 14 Jan 2007 11:55:51 GMT

Detailed event log reader will most likely be on BIOS level.