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dmidecode

Introduction​

This cheat sheet provides a quick reference for some common dmidecode commands and concepts. dmidecode is a command-line utility used to retrieve hardware information from the BIOS of a computer.

dmidecode Concepts​

DMI (Desktop Management Interface)​

dmidecode extracts information from the Desktop Management Interface, which is a standard framework for managing and tracking hardware and software components in a system.

Information Categories​

dmidecode provides information about various hardware components and their attributes, including:

  • System
  • BIOS
  • Processor
  • Memory (RAM)
  • Cache
  • System Slots
  • Onboard Devices
  • System Configuration Options
  • OEM-specific Information
  • And more...

Output Format​

dmidecode can produce output in various formats, including plain text and structured formats like JSON.

  • Display information in plain text:

    dmidecode

  • Display information in JSON format:

    dmidecode --json

Specifying the Type​

You can specify the type of information you want to retrieve from dmidecode.

  • Display information about the BIOS:

    dmidecode -t bios

  • Display information about the processor:

    dmidecode -t processor

dmidecode Command-Line​

  • Display system hardware information:

    dmidecode

  • Display information about a specific hardware category (e.g., BIOS):

    dmidecode -t bios

  • Display information in JSON format:

    dmidecode --json

  • Save the output to a file:

    dmidecode > hardware_info.txt

Conclusion​

This cheat sheet covers some common dmidecode commands and concepts. dmidecode is a valuable tool for retrieving detailed hardware information from the BIOS of a computer, which can be useful for system administration, troubleshooting, and hardware inventory; refer to the official dmidecode documentation for more in-depth information and advanced usage.