What is memory scrubbing in SEU mitigation?

What is memory scrubbing in SEU mitigation?

• A. Periodically scrubbing disk firmware
• B. Periodically reading and correcting memory contents
• C. Rebooting the system upon error
• D. Encrypting memory contents

Answer: (B)

Memory scrubbing is the ongoing process of periodically reading memory to detect and fix bit flips caused by single-event upsets. In radiation-prone environments, cosmic rays can flip bits in memory cells, and scrubbing uses error-detection and correction (like ECC) to identify these errors, correct them, and write the corrected data back. This keeps corrupted data from lingering and causing faults later, especially during long-running operation. It’s not about changing disk firmware, rebooting the system in response to an error, or encrypting memory—the scrubbing action specifically targets maintaining memory contents by detecting and correcting errors.

Memory scrubbing is the ongoing process of periodically reading memory to detect and fix bit flips caused by single-event upsets. In radiation-prone environments, cosmic rays can flip bits in memory cells, and scrubbing uses error-detection and correction (like ECC) to identify these errors, correct them, and write the corrected data back. This keeps corrupted data from lingering and causing faults later, especially during long-running operation. It’s not about changing disk firmware, rebooting the system in response to an error, or encrypting memory—the scrubbing action specifically targets maintaining memory contents by detecting and correcting errors.