Replacing Non-ECC with ECC

  • I am currently using ZFS with Non-ECC Ram. If I purchase and swap this ram out with ECC, will there be any issues or any other work to be done besides physically swapping the sticks?

    Case: U-NAS NSC-810
    Motherboard: ASRock - C236 WSI Mini ITX
    CPU: Core i7-6700
    Memory: 32GB Crucial DDR4-2133

  • am currently using ZFS with Non-ECC Ram.

    If it's the system shown in your signature, the i7-6700 doesn't support ECC RAM. So, while you can install the ECC RAM and it will probably boot, you won't have any ECC functionality.


    The motherboard does support ECC RAM, but you'd need to swap out both the RAM and CPU to have ECC functionality.

  • If both CPU and mainboard support ECC-RAM there's nothing to take care of. I would install edac-utils as additional step then and check error logs from time to time...


    If it's the system shown in your signature, the i7-6700 doesn't support ECC RAM. So, while you can install the ECC RAM and it will probably boot, you won't have any ECC functionality.
    The motherboard does support ECC RAM, but you'd need to swap out both the RAM and CPU to have ECC functionality.


    Shoot, thanks for the reply. I didn't even know that the CPU had to support it. I know the motherboard does however. Are there any non xeon processors that support ECC? I'd be willing to swap the CPU as long as it fits the socket since I'm going to be building a gaming rig soon. Never mind, found a tool on intel's website.

    Case: U-NAS NSC-810
    Motherboard: ASRock - C236 WSI Mini ITX
    CPU: Core i7-6700
    Memory: 32GB Crucial DDR4-2133

    Einmal editiert, zuletzt von elastic ()

  • Will the cost of the upgrade be worth it? ecc used to be the only way to go but now not so much.

    Its important to keep your context in mind. ZFS with ECC was originally designed for, and many would argue works best in, enterprise environments where huge amounts of data are both moved and stored. With huge amounts of data, loss due to mechanical or electrical problems is a "when", not an "if" issue. In a datacenter with a lot of machines and a small number of people, ZFS with ECC its a really great combination for avoiding disaster.


    If you have only one machine, you could go years without a problem. I have absolutely no idea about the OMV userbase, but I'd guess a whole lot of users don't have ECC and they do just fine.


    On the other hand, when a time comes that it would save your data, ECC comes in really handy! Even without ZFS, combining ECC with a journaling file system, like EXT4, is still better than EXT4 by itself. Its a matter of deciding how much risk you're willing to take (even if its low) and how much you are willing to spend to avoid the risk. If you are buying a totally new system, I think you'll always pay a stiff premium for ECC, both because the memory costs more and because the motherboards that use it are usually server grade. But, you already have the motherboard and if you can divert your non-ECC memory and the i7 to another build, then the cost isn't that great.


    If you do use ECC though, I think the best advice is what @tkaiser gave above: keep an eye on the error logs.

  • keep an eye on the error logs


    And there will be errors from time to time even if the server in question ran a memtest burn-in procedure for 48 or even 72 hours without showing a single bit flip. At least with our installations it's like that. Bit flips happen. If you don't have ECC ram you simply don't notice (sometimes these memory errors will result in an application or daemon crashing, data corruption or even a kernel panic... or 'bluescreen of death' on Windows systems).

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