[ale] "out of memory" error and dying processes

[Joe Knapka]

"David S. Jackson" <dsj at dsj.net> writes:

> I'm getting terminating processes due to persistent out of memory
> error:
> 
> Out of Memory: Killed process 9672 (MozillaFirebird).
> Out of Memory: Killed process 9674 (MozillaFirebird).
> Out of Memory: Killed process 9675 (MozillaFirebird).
> Out of Memory: Killed process 9676 (MozillaFirebird).
> Out of Memory: Killed process 9678 (MozillaFirebird).
> Out of Memory: Killed process 10359 (MozillaFirebird).
> Out of Memory: Killed process 10836 (updatedb).
> Out of Memory: Killed process 16343 (mozilla-bin).
> Out of Memory: Killed process 16349 (mozilla-bin).
> Out of Memory: Killed process 16350 (mozilla-bin).
> Out of Memory: Killed process 16351 (mozilla-bin).
> Out of Memory: Killed process 16353 (mozilla-bin).
> Out of Memory: Killed process 16395 (gkrellm).
> Out of Memory: Killed process 16361 (updatedb).
> 
> This system is an Athlon XP 1.5 Ghz with 512MB ram and 489940 swap.
> Free says:
> 
> [dsj at scee ~]$ free
> 	    total       used       free    shared     buffers   cached
> Mem:        256292     164516      91776   0   	      7684      81236
> -/+ buffers/cache:      75596     180696
> Swap:       489940      76280     413660

Hmm. Wouldn't you expect "Mem: total" to be something closer to 512M?
Perhaps you are using DIMMs that aren't completely compatible
with you mobo. I've seen some mobos use only half the capacity
of some memory that doesn't match the mobo specs.

-- Joe Knapka

"I'm going to shoot that computer, then take it out in the
street and run over it with the car." -- Ani Hagan (my wife),
in reference to her adware-infected, popup-ridded W98 box
(since nuked and paved with RH8).