Task: to get at least some, even if only somewhat detailed, information about the hardware on which this Linux operating system is running (Debian or CentOS... also works for ubuntu and RedHat). We are interested in data from the BIOS, data about what processor is installed, memory, which memory slots are occupied, what motherboard is installed, what hard drives, etc.
That is, we are interested in - what devices are installed in the computer, what hardware is present in the system running FreeBSD.
By and large - I was looking for some analog of Sandra or Everest, but for FreeBSD and free.
Note. The utility given below will only work if DMI BIOS is present. By and large - this is no big deal, since all modern computers have come with DMI for many years now, but on 486s and the first Pentiums you may find that the utility refuses to talk to you.
1) Installing
You probably already have this utility installed on your system. However, if it is not there - here is how you can install it:
Debian (or ubuntu):
$ sudo aptitude install dmidecode
CentOS/RedHat:
$ sudo yum install dmidecode
2) Using
Debian (or ubuntu):
$ sudo dmidecode | less
CentOS/RedHat:
$ sudo /usr/sbin/dmidecode | less
It's not for nothing that I piped the output through "less" (or "more") - the utility outputs just a huge amount of text.
Here is an example of the output (of course, only part of it):
...
Handle 0x0002, DMI type 2, 15 bytes
Base Board Information
Manufacturer: ASUSTeK Computer INC.
Product Name: P5KPL-AM EPU
Version: x.0x
Serial Number: MT7002K27107529
Asset Tag: To Be Filled By O.E.M.
Features:
Board is a hosting board
Board is replaceable
Location In Chassis: To Be Filled By O.E.M.
Chassis Handle: 0x0003
Type: Motherboard
Contained Object Handles: 0
Handle 0x0004, DMI type 4, 40 bytes
Processor Information
Socket Designation: Socket 775
Type: Central Processor
Family: Other
Manufacturer: Intel
ID: 61 06 01 00 FF FB EB AF
Version: Intel(R) Celeron(R) CPU 430 @ 1.80GHz
Voltage: 1.3 V
External Clock: 200 MHz
Max Speed: 3800 MHz
Current Speed: 1800 MHz
Status: Populated, Enabled
Upgrade: Socket LGA775
L1 Cache Handle: 0x0005
L2 Cache Handle: 0x0006
L3 Cache Handle: 0x0007
Serial Number: To Be Filled By O.E.M.
Asset Tag: To Be Filled By O.E.M.
Part Number: To Be Filled By O.E.M.
Characteristics: None
Handle 0x0008, DMI type 6, 12 bytes
Memory Module Information
Socket Designation: DIMM A1
Bank Connections: 0 1
Current Speed: 25 ns
Type: DIMM SDRAM
Installed Size: 1024 MB (Single-bank Connection)
Enabled Size: 1024 MB (Single-bank Connection)
Error Status: OK
Handle 0x0009, DMI type 6, 12 bytes
Memory Module Information
Socket Designation: DIMM B1
Bank Connections: 2 3
Current Speed: Unknown
Type: DIMM SDRAM
Installed Size: Not Installed
Enabled Size: Not Installed
Error Status: OK
...
3) Dig around in man dmidecode - the utility allows you to output not all the data at once, but only a certain part of it (category).
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