Dmidecode

Resources

dmidecode is a software tool that enables extraction of detailed hardware information from a system by decoding the DMI (Desktop Management Interface) table. It provides valuable insights into the system's hardware configuration as described in SMBIOS (System Management BIOS). With dmidecode, you can retrieve information such as the system's BIOS vendor, version, release date, and revision, as well as details about the system's manufacturer, product name, serial number, UUID, SKU number, family, baseboard information, chassis details, processor family, manufacturer, version, and frequency.

Installation

USE flags

To install dmidecode, you can configure the following USE flag:

USE flags for sys-apps/dmidecode DMI (Desktop Management Interface) table related utilities

selinux !!internal use only!! Security Enhanced Linux support, this must be set by the selinux profile or breakage will occur

Data provided by the Gentoo Package Database · Last update: 2024-09-12 18:37 More information about USE flags

Emerge

To install dmidecode using the Portage package manager, run the following command:

root #emerge --ask sys-apps/dmidecode

Description

Here is a description of the various keywords and their corresponding information:

Keyword	Description
bios-vendor	The vendor responsible for manufacturing the system's BIOS firmware.
bios-version	The specific release or version number assigned to the system's BIOS firmware.
bios-release-date	The date when the system's BIOS firmware was initially released or made available.
bios-revision	The specific version or revision number assigned to the system's BIOS firmware.
firmware-revision	The specific version or revision number assigned to the system's firmware, including the BIOS.
system-manufacturer	The manufacturer responsible for manufacturing the system.
system-product-name	The specific model or name assigned to the system by the manufacturer.
system-version	The specific release or version number assigned to the system.
system-serial-number	The unique serial number assigned to the system by the manufacturer.
system-uuid	The Universally Unique Identifier (UUID) assigned to the system, providing a globally unique identifier across platforms and environments.
system-sku-number	The Stock Keeping Unit (SKU) number assigned to the system, used for inventory or product tracking.
system-family	The family or category of the system, indicating similarities or belonging to the same product line.
baseboard-manufacturer	The manufacturer responsible for manufacturing the motherboard or baseboard.
baseboard-product-name	The specific model or name assigned to the motherboard or baseboard by the manufacturer.
baseboard-version	The specific release or version number assigned to the motherboard or baseboard.
baseboard-serial-number	The unique serial number assigned to the motherboard or baseboard by the manufacturer.
baseboard-asset-tag	The asset tag assigned to the motherboard or baseboard for tracking or identification purposes.
chassis-manufacturer	The manufacturer responsible for manufacturing the chassis or case of the system.
chassis-type	The type or form factor of the chassis, such as tower, rack-mount, or desktop.
chassis-version	The specific release or version number assigned to the chassis.
chassis-serial-number	The unique serial number assigned to the chassis by the manufacturer.
chassis-asset-tag	The asset tag assigned to the chassis for tracking or identification purposes.
processor-family	The family or category of the processor, indicating similarities or belonging to the same processor family.
processor-manufacturer	The manufacturer responsible for manufacturing the processor.
processor-version	The specific release or version number assigned to the processor.
processor-frequency	The operating frequency or speed of the processor, typically measured in gigahertz (GHz).

Command Usage

Here is the detailed hardware information that can be retrieved using dmidecode:

BIOS Information

BIOS Vendor

To obtain the vendor information of the system's BIOS firmware, use the following command:

root #dmidecode -s bios-vendor

BIOS Version

To retrieve the version number of the system's BIOS firmware, use the following command:

root #dmidecode -s bios-version

BIOS Release Date

To obtain the release date of the system's BIOS firmware, use the following command:

root #dmidecode -s bios-release-date

BIOS Revision

To retrieve the revision number of the system's BIOS firmware, use the following command:

root #dmidecode -s bios-revision

Firmware Revision

To obtain the revision number of the system's firmware, including the BIOS, use the following command:

root #dmidecode -s firmware-revision

System Information

System Manufacturer

To retrieve the manufacturer information of the system, use the following command:

root #dmidecode -s system-manufacturer

System Product Name

To obtain the product name assigned to the system by the manufacturer, use the following command:

root #dmidecode -s system-product-name

System Version

To retrieve the version number assigned to the system, use the following command:

root #dmidecode -s system-version

System Serial Number

To obtain the unique serial number assigned to the system by the manufacturer, use the following command:

root #dmidecode -s system-serial-number

System UUID

To retrieve the Universally Unique Identifier (UUID) assigned to the system, use the following command:

root #dmidecode -s system-uuid

System SKU Number

To obtain the Stock Keeping Unit (SKU) number assigned to the system, use the following command:

root #dmidecode -s system-sku-number

System Family

To retrieve the family or category information of the system, use the following command:

root #dmidecode -s system-family

Baseboard Information

Baseboard Manufacturer

To obtain the manufacturer information of the motherboard or baseboard, use the following command:

root #dmidecode -s baseboard-manufacturer

Baseboard Product Name

To retrieve the product name assigned to the motherboard or baseboard, use the following command:

root #dmidecode -s baseboard-product-name

Baseboard Version

To obtain the version number assigned to the motherboard or baseboard, use the following command:

root #dmidecode -s baseboard-version

Baseboard Serial Number

To retrieve the unique serial number assigned to the motherboard or baseboard, use the following command:

root #dmidecode -s baseboard-serial-number

Baseboard Asset Tag

To obtain the asset tag assigned to the motherboard or baseboard, use the following command:

root #dmidecode -s baseboard-asset-tag

Chassis Information

Chassis Manufacturer

To retrieve the manufacturer information of the chassis or case of the system, use the following command:

root #dmidecode -s chassis-manufacturer

Chassis Type

To obtain the type or form factor of the chassis, use the following command:

root #dmidecode -s chassis-type

Chassis Version

To retrieve the version number assigned to the chassis, use the following command:

root #dmidecode -s chassis-version

Chassis Serial Number

To obtain the unique serial number assigned to the chassis, use the following command:

root #dmidecode -s chassis-serial-number

Chassis Asset Tag

To retrieve the asset tag assigned to the chassis, use the following command:

root #dmidecode -s chassis-asset-tag

Processor Information

Processor Family

To obtain the family or category information of the processor, use the following command:

root #dmidecode -s processor-family

Processor Manufacturer

To retrieve the manufacturer information of the processor, use the following command:

root #dmidecode -s processor-manufacturer

Processor Version

To obtain the version number assigned to the processor, use the following command:

root #dmidecode -s processor-version

Processor Frequency

To retrieve the operating frequency or speed of the processor, use the following command:

root #dmidecode -s processor-frequency

Ownership

The ownership command allows you to manipulate ownership options for memory reading. You can specify different options to customize the behavior of the command.

To read memory from a specific device file (/dev/custom_mem), you can use the following command:

root #ownership -d /dev/custom_mem

Vpddecode

The vpddecode command is used for decoding VPD (Vital Product Data) records. You can provide various options to customize the behavior of the command.

To read memory from a specific device file (e.g., /dev/custom_mem), you can use the following command:

root #vpddecode -d /dev/custom_mem

To only display the value of a specific VPD string (e.g., "motherboard-serial-number"), use the following command:

root #vpddecode -s motherboard-serial-number

To prevent the decoding of VPD records and dump the raw data, use the following command:

root #vpddecode -u

Tips and Tricks

Systemd

If dmidecode is not available or inaccessible, there are alternative methods to retrieve BIOS information. In addition to the previously mentioned tips, you can also utilize systemd commands to access relevant data. Some of the systemd commands for retrieving BIOS info include:

- To access kernel output related to the BIOS, you can use the following command:

root #journalctl --quiet --system --boot SYSLOG_IDENTIFIER=kernel

- Another command that can provide BIOS-related information is:

root #systemctl show --property=EFI_VARS

Please note that the availability and output of these commands may vary depending on the system configuration.

Reading DMI Data Without dmidecode and as Non-Root

If you are unable to launch dmidecode as usual or do not have root privileges, there are alternative methods to read DMI (Desktop Management Interface) information. Please note that some information, such as serial numbers, may require root privileges to access.

One option is to access the DMI information under the directory /sys/class/dmi/id/ as a regular user. This directory contains various files that provide DMI-related information. However, please be aware that the following options require root access:

Chassis serial number: /sys/class/dmi/id/chassis_serial
Product serial number: /sys/class/dmi/id/product_serial
Product UUID: /sys/class/dmi/id/product_uuid

For example, you can retrieve the platform type (system product name) by reading the file:

user $cat /sys/class/dmi/id/product_name

Similarly, you can obtain the BIOS version by reading:

user $cat /sys/class/dmi/id/bios_version

To retrieve the amount of physical memory, you can make use of the following command:

user $cat /sys/class/dmi/id/memory/size