Question

The memory controller can check memory for errors and possibly correct those errors using ECC (error-correcting code). Using parity, an older technology, the controller could only recognize an error had occurred, but not correct it.

Answer 1

The question deals with ECC (Error-Correcting Code) and parity, two error-checking technologies used by memory controllers in computer systems. ECC can detect and correct memory errors, whereas parity can only detect errors.

Step-by-step explanation:

The subject matter of the question pertains to error-checking technologies used in computer memory systems. ECC, or Error-Correcting Code, is a method used by memory controllers to detect and correct errors in data stored in memory modules. In contrast, parity is an older error-detection technique that allows a memory controller to only identify the presence of an error, not correct it. ECC is more advanced than parity because it adds additional data bits to each byte of memory, which are used by the memory controller to both detect and correct errors on-the-fly, ensuring data integrity and system reliability. However, parity simply adds a single bit to each byte of data, enabling error detection but not correction. This technology is critical as memory is an integral part of information processing systems, including computers, where the encoding, storage, and retrieval of data are essential for system operation.