Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!tektronix!hplabs!sri-unix!cdh@BBNCCX.ARPA
From: cdh@BBNCCX.ARPA
Newsgroups: net.micro
Subject: Re: Is parity *really* worth it?
Message-ID: <719@sri-arpa.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 3-Aug-84 22:03:32 EDT
Article-I.D.: sri-arpa.719
Posted: Fri Aug  3 22:03:32 1984
Date-Received: Mon, 6-Aug-84 03:32:29 EDT
Lines: 17

From:  "Carl D. Howe" 

Concerning ECC:  be careful.  Some of the fancy VLSI ECC chips have such
large die sizes and have been pushed to be so fast, that THEIR soft failure
rate is higher than the RAMs they protect!!

ECC also costs a lot more.  On the other hand, it does allow you to continue
running with completely nonfunctional chips, a feature if you are looking
at a nonstop type of application.

I guess my point is that all types of error detection/correction techniques
have their places.  The hard part is choosing the right point in the design
space to run your application.  Doing some rudimentary
failure calculations at least gives you a point where you can start making tradeoffs
and know whether you are winning or losing.

Carl