error correcting memory

1 definition found

error correcting memory - Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (26 May 2007) :

  error correcting memory
  
     <storage> (ECM) RAM using some kind of error detection and correction
      (EDAC) scheme.  The two types of memory errors in
     RAM (especially DRAM) are "soft" errors due to
     radiation-induced bit switching, and "hard" errors due to the
     unexpected deterioration of a memory chip.  Soft errors do not
     indicate lasting damage to the memory board, but they do
     corrupt programs or data.  Hard errors demand physical
     repairs.  Single bit memory failures are the most common.  A
     hard single bit failure, such as that caused by a completely
     dead chip can be corrected by EDAC if each chip supplies only
     one bit of each word.  EDAC memory is the most common level of
     protection for minicomputers and mainframes whereas the
     cheaper parity protection is more common in microcomputers.
  
     [Clearpoint, "The Designer's Guide to Add-In Memory", Third
     Addition].
  
     (1995-10-10)