Master dmidecode: Retrieve Detailed Hardware Info on Linux

Tool Overview

dmidecode retrieves hardware information from a host via DMI, outputting details such as BIOS, system, motherboard, processor, memory, and cache.

What is DMI? DMI (Desktop Management Interface) consists mainly of the Management Information Format (MIF) database, which stores all information about the computer system and its components.

Installing dmidecode

Example on CentOS 7.9:

# cat /etc/redhat-release
CentOS Linux release 7.9.2009 (Core)

Install dmidecode:

# yum -y install dmidecode

Command Syntax

dmidecode [options]
Options:
- d: (default:/dev/mem) read from device file, same output as without parameters.
- h: display help information.
- s: show only the specified DMI string (string).
- t: show only the specified type entry (type).
- u: display raw, undecoded entry data.
--dump-bin file: dump DMI data to a binary file.
--from-dump FILE: read DMI data from a binary file.
- V: display version information.

Common Usage

# Print all hardware information
 dmidecode
# Print concise hardware information
 dmidecode -q
# Show help
 dmidecode -h
# Filter for a specific string
 dmidecode | grep 'Product Name'
# Show BIOS information
 dmidecode --type bios
# Show system information
 dmidecode --type system
# Show motherboard information
 dmidecode --type baseboard
# Show chassis information
 dmidecode --type chassis
# Show processor information
 dmidecode --type processor
# Show memory information
 dmidecode --type memory
# Show motherboard serial number
 dmidecode | grep 'Serial Number'
# Show system serial number
 dmidecode -s system-serial-number
# Show OEM information
 dmidecode -t 11

Supported Numeric Types

Type – Information

0 – BIOS

1 – System

2 – Baseboard

3 – Chassis

4 – Processor

5 – Memory Controller

6 – Memory Module

7 – Cache

8 – Port Connector

9 – System Slots

10 – On Board Devices

11 – OEM Strings

12 – System Configuration Options

13 – BIOS Language

14 – Group Associations

15 – System Event Log

16 – Physical Memory Array

17 – Memory Device

18 – 32-bit Memory Error

19 – Memory Array Mapped Address

20 – Memory Device Mapped Address

21 – Built-in Pointing Device

22 – Portable Battery

23 – System Reset

24 – Hardware Security

25 – System Power Controls

26 – Voltage Probe

27 – Cooling Device

28 – Temperature Probe

29 – Electrical Current Probe

30 – Out-of-band Remote Access

31 – Boot Integrity Services

32 – System Boot

33 – 64-bit Memory Error

34 – Management Device

35 – Management Device Component

36 – Management Device Threshold Data

37 – Memory Channel

38 – IPMI Device

39 – Power Supply

40 – Additional Information

41 – Onboard Devices Extended Information

42 – Management Controller Host Interface

Usage Examples

01 Query Memory Information

# Query number of memory modules
 dmidecode -t 17 | grep "Size.*MB" | wc -l
1
# Query maximum supported memory
 dmidecode -t 16
Handle 0x0036, DMI type 16, 15 bytes
Physical Memory Array
    Location: System Board Or Motherboard
    Use: System Memory
    Error Correction Type: Multi-bit ECC
    Maximum Capacity: 96 GB
    Error Information Handle: Not Provided
    Number Of Devices: 12

02 More Concise Information Display

# Concise output
 dmidecode -q
// BIOS information
BIOS Information
        Vendor: Bochs
        Version: Bochs
        Release Date: 01/01/2011
        Address: 0xE8000
        Runtime Size: 96 kB
        ROM Size: 64 kB
        Characteristics:
                BIOS characteristics not supported
                Targeted content distribution is supported
        BIOS Revision: 1.0

// System information
System Information
        Manufacturer: Bochs
        Product Name: Bochs
        Version: Not Specified
        Serial Number: 641ab5b5-f6c0-431f-864c-4e750d27de04
        UUID: 641AB5B5-F6C0-431F-864C-4E750D27DE04
        Wake-up Type: Power Switch
        SKU Number: Not Specified
        Family: Not Specified

// Chassis information
Chassis Information
        Manufacturer: Bochs
        Type: Other
        ... (additional fields omitted for brevity)