False Uncorrectable Memory Errors may be generated if "PowerNow" is enabled on certain Sun Blade, Sun Fire, Sun Ultra and Netra Systems

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False Uncorrectable Memory Errors may be generated if "PowerNow" is enabled on certain Sun Blade, Sun Fire, Sun Ultra and Netra Systems

1. Impact

False uncorrectable memory errors may be generated if "PowerNow" is enabled in the BIOS on certain Sun Blade, Sun Fire, Sun Ultra and Netra Servers/Modules, which may result in the loss of memory and inappropriate replacement of system parts.

2. Contributing Factors

This issue can occur on the following platforms:

• Sun Ultra 40 M2 Workstation
• Sun Fire X4100M2, X4200M2, and X4600M2 Servers
• Sun Blade X6220, X8420 and X8440 Servers
• Netra X4200 M2 Server

3. Symptoms

A "sync flood" will be triggered either on booting or while running the OS. The server will reboot and display a message similar to the following:

    A Hyper Transport sync flood error occurred on last boot.
    Press F1 to Resume (CTRL+Q from remote keyboard)

If the boot is continued, the system will come up with a DIMM pair disabled.

The following is a typical output from the 'ipmitool sel elist' command, which in this case shows the errors on the Node 1's memory:

    6501 | 01/03/2008 | 11:29:52 | System Firmware Progress | Memory 
    initialization | Asserted
    6601 | 01/03/2008 | 11:29:52 | OEM #0x12 |  | Asserted
    6701 | OEM record e0 | 0000000004f200002000020c0f
    6801 | OEM record e0 | 01000000040000000000000000
    6901 | OEM record e0 | 0000010004fc6ba100ac080a13 << UE error
    6a01 | OEM record e0 | 010001000400000001960f6500
    6b01 | OEM record e0 | 0000020004f200001000020c0f
    6c01 | OEM record e0 | 01000200040000000000000000
    6d01 | OEM record e0 | 0000030004f200004000020c0f
    6e01 | OEM record e0 | 01000300040000000000000000
    6f01 | 01/03/2008 | 11:30:06 | System Boot Initiated | Initiated by warm 
    reset | Asserted
    7001 | 01/03/2008 | 11:30:06 | System Firmware Progress | Memory 
    initialization | Asserted
    7101 | 01/03/2008 | 11:30:32 | Memory | Uncorrectable ECC | Asserted | 
    CPU 1 DIMM 3

4. Workaround


5. Resolution

1. First, if the BIOS is not up to date, update the system BIOS to the latest version available from one of the websites listed below. (There have been many recent modifications to memory timing on various platforms, and the BIOS update may be the only correction the system needs).

BIOS update downloads are available from the following URLs:

Sun Ultra 40 M2 Workstation:       http://www.sun.com/desktop/workstation/ultra40/downloads.jsp
Sun Fire X4100 M2 Server:          http://www.sun.com/servers/entry/x4100/downloads.jsp
Sun Fire X4200 M2 Server:          http://www.sun.com/servers/entry/x4100/downloads.jsp
Netra X4200 M2 Server:              http://www.sun.com/servers/netra/x4200/support.xml
Sun Fire X4600 M2 Server:          http://www.sun.com/servers/x64/x4600/downloads.jsp
Sun Blade X6220 Server Module: http://www.sun.com/servers/blades/downloads.jsp
Sun Blade X8420 Server Module: http://www.sun.com/servers/blades/downloads.jsp#8000
Sun Blade X8440 Server Module: http://www.sun.com/servers/blades/downloads.jsp#8000

2. If the system is already running the latest BIOS and the instability issue(s) are still occurring, disable "PowerNow" in the system BIOS.  Refer to applicable product documentation below for procedures describing how to do this on your specific platform. (If disabling "PowerNow" is not viable as a long term solution, please contact your Sun Support Representative for further details).

Product Documentation Links:

Sun Blade X6220 Server Module Documentation
Sun Blade 8000 Modular System Documentation
Sun Fire X4100 M2 Server Documentation
Sun Fire X4200 M2 Server Documentation
Sun Fire X4600 M2 Server Documentation
Netra X4200 M2 Server Documentation
Sun Ultra 40 M2 Workstation Documentation


This Sun Alert notification is being provided to you on an "AS IS" basis. This Sun Alert notification may contain information provided by third parties. The issues described in this Sun Alert notification may or may not impact your system(s). Sun makes no representations, warranties, or guarantees as to the information contained herein. ANY AND ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, OR NON-INFRINGEMENT, ARE HEREBY DISCLAIMED. BY ACCESSING THIS DOCUMENT YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THAT SUN SHALL IN NO EVENT BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, PUNITIVE, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES THAT ARISE OUT OF YOUR USE OR FAILURE TO USE THE INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN. This Sun Alert notification contains Sun proprietary and confidential information. It is being provided to you pursuant to the provisions of your agreement to purchase services from Sun, or, if you do not have such an agreement, the Sun.com Terms of Use. This Sun Alert notification may only be used for the purposes contemplated by these agreements.

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Modification History

16-Jul-2008: Updated Contributing Factors, Workaround, and Resolution sections; now Resolved

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