Cheap server rental! Bad idea! Do you know why? Part 1.RAM

What separates the server memory ECC RAM?
Why is it more expensive?
Why do you need ECC memory?
Everyone knows the famous "blue screen bug".

This is the result of errors that occur in RAM from time to time. They arise spontaneously and unexpectedly. The main cause is electromagnetic problems caused by other parts of the computer or server. While it is impossible to predict errors, accurate detection is possible and will certainly occur. The longer the system has been operating, the greater the probability of error.

A while ago Google published material on research into errors in RAM: "Wild DRAM Errors: A Large-Scale Field Study". According to this research, the rate of failure in the memory module increases with the age of the RAM module. In other words, the more errors occur for the older memory module.

When such an error occurs in your home, it does not naturally cause major problems. First of all, your PC regularly shuts down every time you leave the house, interrupting the "aging" process of these memory modules until the next time you turn it on. Second, shutting down the home PC every day is a kind of preventative solution to malfunctions. Third, it happens very rarely even if the failure occurs due to the reasons mentioned above and only restarting your computer or powering it off and on is enough to fix the problem.

The situation is different on servers. Servers operate in 7x24x365 mode, which leads to the aggregation of possible failure possibilities in memory, and errors inevitably occur in 100% memory. This causes an unplanned and improper system reinstallation, which can lead to more serious malfunctions in the database tables and other critical locations in the file system.

To ensure that the server works without reloading, special memory has been created for servers - ECC RAM (Error Correction Code) type memory.

As you can see in the picture above, ECC RAM is visually even different from standard memory. In the memory ECC RAM module, there is an extra +1 chip in addition that is used to correct errors. This is why ECC memory is more expensive. The additional chip costs slightly more, but is also critical for remote server systems because it helps the server run in non-stop mode.

Today, only ECC RAM is used in servers. If you received a cheap server offer and are unsure whether to accept it, ask a service provider to explain what kind of memory is installed in the server. If a server does not have ECC memory, it is not a server. An ordinary desktop is being sold under the pretext of a server. And it is possible to say that it will 100% cause you sleepless nights. Depending on which server is required for the task and what type of OP you are using, long hours of "fascinating" sessions await you in companies of different recovery tools: fsck, MYSQL REPAIR TABLE :)

If you need a reliable dedicated server that can have years of uptime without a single reboot - contact us at software.store.