memtest86+ fails to boot

[tarkhil]

I've installed (later built) memtest86+ as a loadable module. Attempt to load it resulted in `elf32_lookup_symbol: corrupt symbol table` and attempt to boot failed.

FreeBSD 13.2

What can be wrong?

 

[D-FENS]

Isn't it memtest86+ a complete kernel by itself? What do you mean "as a loadable module"?

 

[tarkhil]

Yes, as a kernel, sorry. I've done unload than load and got an error

 

[tingo]

Open PRs for memtest86+:
PR 246116, PR 211204
both are a bit old, none of them seems to address the "cannot load memtest86+ from loader" situation.

 

[tingo]

FWIW, I tried to load memtest86+ from the loader on my StarLabs StarBook. I've transcribed the output:

OK unload
OK load /boot/opt/memtest86+
don't know how to load module '/boot/opt/memtest86+'
OK

I installed memtest86+ from pkg

root@kg-starone:~ # pkg info memtest\*
memtest86+-5.01_5

And the machine runs FreeBSD 14.0-release

root@kg-starone:~ # freebsd-version -ku
14.0-RELEASE-p3
14.0-RELEASE-p4

 

[tingo]

File has this to say about memtest86+

root@kg-starone:~ # file /boot/opt/memtest86+
/boot/opt/memtest86+: ELF 32-bit LSB executable, Intel 80386, version 1 (FreeBSD), statically linked, stripped

It is a bit different from the kernel

root@kg-starone:~ # file /boot/kernel/kernel
/boot/kernel/kernel: ELF 64-bit LSB executable, x86-64, version 1 (FreeBSD), dynamically linked, interpreter /red/herring, BuildID[sha1]=46c84b2a11c03a483b51b7a3f80b228928a29563, not stripped

 

[tingo]

I've opened PR 276496.

 

[YYY__]

Try sysutils/memtester from userspace as an alternative.

 

[Andriy]

I've opened PR 276496.

The port is unmaintained. Saying this as its author and former maintainer (a long time ago).
So, don't hold your breath for someone else to fix it.

if your system supports UEFI, you can simply use memtest64.efi from memtest86+ ISO image, version 6+.
You can place it into the ESP partition and then you would be able to run it from the EFI shell.
You should be able to add a EFI boot entry for it as well (using efibootmgr or built-in capabilities of "BIOS").

P.S. I also think that it should be possible to start memtest64.efi from loader.efi's prompt using chain command.

 

[tingo]

I can confirm that the chain command works with memtest64.efi (downloaded from the memtest86+ web site).
I simply had to chain disk0p1:efi/memtest64.efi
from the loader prompt, and memtest86+ loaded and started.

 

[SirDice]

The kernel module from sysutils/memtest86+ has never worked for me, it always resulted in a panic when you load it. Use the stand-alone one: sysutils/memtest86. Write the image to a USB stick and boot from it.