question on a kernal "uhhuh" message

Rick Stevens ricks at nerd.com
Mon Aug 25 22:02:44 UTC 2008


Paul Newell wrote:
> Alain Spineux wrote:
>> On Mon, Aug 25, 2008 at 10:47 PM, Paul Newell <pnewell at cs.cmu.edu> wrote:
>>  
>>> While running a long "yum update", I got the following message in the
>>> middle:
>>>
>>>   (367/406): cscope-15.6-2.fc9.i386.rpm                    | 141
>>>   kB     00:01       (368/406): gstreamer-p  86% |  20% |==        |  57
>>> kB/s | 192
>>>   kB     00:12 ETA
>>>   Message from syslogd at chowder at Aug 25 11:55:03 ...
>>>    kernel: Uhhuh. NMI received for unknown reason a1 on CPU 0.
>>>
>>>   Message from syslogd at chowder at Aug 25 11:55:03 ...
>>>    kernel: You have some hardware problem, likely on the PCI bus.
>>>
>>>   Message from syslogd at chowder at Aug 25 11:55:03 ...
>>>    kernel: Dazed and confused, but trying to continue
>>>   (368/406): gstreamer-plugins-base-0.10.19-2.fc9.i386.rpm | 929
>>>   kB     00:12       (369/406): exempi-2.0.1-1.fc9.i386.rpm
>>>   | 297
>>>   kB     00:03
>>>
>>> I am assuming that the second occurrence of "(368/406):
>>> gstreamer-plugins-base-0.10.19.2.fc9.i386.rpm" indicates that it did 
>>> finish
>>> that rpm given that the rpm_debug_check and Transaction Test seemed 
>>> to have
>>> passed.
>>>
>>> So, I am figuring this is my computer burping somewhere. Even though 
>>> it is
>>> trying to point me at my PCI bus, I do not know what test / diags I 
>>> should
>>> be running to find out if there really is a hardware problem and, if so,
>>> where and then how to deal with it.
>>>     
>>
>>
>> Any RedHat compatible distribution, has a memory test included in the
>> first install CD.
>> Just boot on it, an type memtest or mem86 or memtes86 or something
>> like that to start the test.
>> Be carrefull, some VGA adapter share the begining of the memory and
>> this part of the memory must be
>> skipped to avoid false error.
>>
>>   
> Alain:
> 
> I installed off a DVD, which should be the same, so my one question 
> before I try this is "at what point to I get it to not do an 
> install/update but to give me a terminal (or single-user window) so I 
> can execute this command. Actually, being new to this, I don't even know 
> if this is something I get a terminal / single-user window for as I 
> don't know how early I am jumping in.

Boot off the CD/DVD.  At the "boot:" prompt, enter "memtest86" and off
you go.

> 
> For what it is worth, I don't see any errors in the while process of 
> powering up the machine, but maybe the boot process isn't doing all the 
> tests you are suggesting.
> 
> Thanks,
> Paul
> 


-- 
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- Rick Stevens, Systems Engineer                       rps2 at nerd.com -
- Hosting Consulting, Inc.                                           -
-                                                                    -
-          "Very funny, Scotty. Now beam down my clothes."           -
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