What’s the Difference Between Intel® Data Center Diagnostic Tool and Intel® In-Field Scan on Xeon® Processors?

What is the difference between Intel® Data Center Diagnostic Tool and Intel® In-Field Scan on Xeon® Processors?

Intel® Data Center Diagnostic Tool

The Intel® Data Center Diagnostic Tool is used to verify the health of the CPU cores. 

The Intel® Data Center Diagnostic Tool (Intel® DCDiag) is designed for IT managers to conduct periodic maintenance of their data center fleets.

Intel® DCDiag can be used on any size of data center to help ensure the highest level of ongoing quality and availability. In addition, DCDiag can be used for periodic fleet screening in the foreground (~45-minute runtime) or in background mode and can identify faulty microprocessors. Running periodic system maintenance helps proactively identify potential issues and gives system administrators the ability to replace those microprocessors.

For more details, check: Intel® Data Center Diagnostic Tool

Intel® In-field Scan 

Intel® In-field Scan is a new processor feature available in Sapphire Rapids, Emerald Rapids, and Intel® Xeon® 6 CPUs.

It enables the detection of faults by executing tests within cores, caches, and on-core arrays. In-field Scan is executed via software (SW).

Intel® In-Field Scan offers three types of testing features:

• Scan At Field (SAF) tests the core logic for faults by using scan test images (that is, single to multiple images).
• Array BIST is a built-in self-test (BIST) for on-core caches and arrays. It does not require a test image.
• Structural-Based Fault Testing (SBFT) uses test images comprised of x86 instructions and various internal test capabilities to provide increased fault coverage.

For more details, check: Intel® In-field Scan