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Commands to get hardware infomation | LinuxGist

This article will provide details on how various commands can be used to get hardware information in a Linux system.

Posted Updated
By LinuxGist
3 min read

Here’s a categorized list of Linux commands to retrieve hardware information:

1. CPU Information

  • lscpu: Displays CPU architecture details.
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    lscpu
  • cat /proc/cpuinfo: Detailed CPU information.
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    cat /proc/cpuinfo
  • dmidecode -t processor: Detailed processor information.
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    sudo dmidecode -t processor

2. Memory Information

  • free -h: Memory usage in a human-readable format.
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    free -h
  • cat /proc/meminfo: Detailed memory statistics.
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    cat /proc/meminfo
  • dmidecode -t memory: Information about RAM modules.
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    sudo dmidecode -t memory

    This command can be used to find the installed RAM modules and any free slots where more RAM can be added.

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    sudo dmidecode -t memory|grep Size

    We can see 2 more RAM cards can be added on this example system:

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      Size: 16 GB
  Size: 16 GB
  Size: No Module Installed
  Size: No Module Installed

3. Disk and Storage Information

  • lsblk: Lists block devices in a tree format.
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    lsblk
  • df -h: Shows disk usage for mounted filesystems.
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    df -h
  • fdisk -l: Lists disk partitions and sizes.
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    sudo fdisk -l
  • blkid: Displays UUID and filesystem types of block devices.
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    sudo blkid

4. PCI Devices

  • lspci: Lists all PCI devices.
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    lspci
  • lspci -vv: Provides detailed PCI device information.
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    lspci -vv

5. USB Devices

  • lsusb: Lists all connected USB devices.
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    lsusb
  • lsusb -v: Provides verbose USB device details.
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    sudo lsusb -v

6. Network Interfaces

  • ip a: Displays network interface details.
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    ip a
  • ethtool <interface>: Provides details about a specific network interface.
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    sudo ethtool eth0
  • nmcli dev status: Shows the status of network devices.
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    nmcli dev status

7. Graphics Card

  • lspci | grep -i vga: Shows graphics card information.
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    lspci | grep -i vga
  • glxinfo | grep -i opengl: Displays GPU rendering and OpenGL details.
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    glxinfo | grep -i opengl

8. BIOS/UEFI Information

  • dmidecode -t bios: Displays BIOS/UEFI details.
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    sudo dmidecode -t bios

9. Motherboard Information

  • dmidecode -t baseboard: Details about the motherboard.
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    sudo dmidecode -t baseboard
  • dmidecode -t chassis: Information about the system chassis.
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    sudo dmidecode -t chassis

10. Audio Devices

  • aplay -l: Lists sound cards for ALSA.
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    aplay -l
  • lspci | grep -i audio: Finds audio-related PCI devices.
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    lspci | grep -i audio

11. Hardware Overview (All Categories)

  • inxi -F: Comprehensive system information.
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    inxi -F
  • hwinfo: Detailed hardware information (requires installation).
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    sudo hwinfo

12. Battery Information (For Laptops)

  • upower -i /org/freedesktop/UPower/devices/battery_BAT0: Battery details.
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    upower -i /org/freedesktop/UPower/devices/battery_BAT0
  • acpi -i: Battery charge and status (requires installation).
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    acpi -i

13. Kernel and System Information

  • uname -a: Displays kernel version and architecture.
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    uname -a
  • hostnamectl: Shows hostname and system information.
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    hostnamectl

    Output

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     Static hostname: precision
     Icon name: computer-desktop
       Chassis: desktop 🖥️
    Machine ID: dcfxxxxx10824959834645dxxxxxx
       Boot ID: 45a2d4c3xxxxxxx385ef5dfxxxxxx
Operating System: Ubuntu 24.04.1 LTS              
        Kernel: Linux 6.8.0-51-generic
  Architecture: x86-64
 Hardware Vendor: Dell Inc.
Hardware Model: Precision 3630 Tower
Firmware Version: 2.26.0
 Firmware Date: Fri 2023-12-08
  Firmware Age: 1y 1month 3d

Installation Notes for Tools

Some commands may require additional tools to be installed:

  • Install with apt, yum, or dnf depending on your distribution:
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    sudo apt install dmidecode inxi hwinfo mesa-utils acpi  # Debian/Ubuntu
sudo yum install dmidecode inxi hwinfo glxinfo acpi  # RHEL/CentOS
sudo dnf install dmidecode inxi hwinfo glxinfo acpi  # Fedora

Summary

These commands provide a range of information about the hardware components on your Linux system. While some of these tools may require root privileges, they offer comprehensive details that can help in diagnosing hardware issues or understanding the configuration of your system.

devops, commands, hardware
cli command linux hardware
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