check ESX memory for the errors

[Davidkov]

Dear community Members,

I am searching the web for answer of this question: "How to check ESX memory for the errors?". I have see a lot of suggestions, but what about checking the memory with memtest86 but with in a VM

Example:

ESX host 72GB RAM

vSphere 4.0 U1

I create new Linux VM with 64GB memory allocated to the guest.

Booting the VM with IOS: Ubuntu LiveCD and starting memtest86+

Can someone tell me if this type of test is “real” and can be accurate?

Sincerely,

Ivan

PS I did test ESX with this method and no errors were found (see attachment), but can we trust the test?

[depping]

you shouldn't be running it from within a VM but use a bootable CD and run it outside of ESX. That way you will test all memory areas instead of just a subset.

Duncan (VCDX)

Available now on Amazon: vSphere 4.1 HA and DRS technical deepdive

[beyondvm]

No, as Duncan said, you should boot the ESX server from the linux ISO and run memtest natively.  Also, you need to run the test for 24-48 hours to really have accurate results.

[idle-jam]

some server has memtest built into the BIOS. so you may not need the hassle to get a bootable CD. (useful if you're far physically from the server).