hwinfo

Display all available hardware information

$ hwinfo

$ hwinfo --[cpu|memory|disk|gfxcard|network|usb|pci|keyboard|mouse|monitor|sound|fingerprint|...]

$ hwinfo [--component] --short

$ hwinfo --all --log [path/to/file]

$ hwinfo --help

hwinfo [options] [class1[,class2]...]

-h, --help
    Display usage help and exit

-V, --version
    Show version information

-v, --verbose
    Increase verbosity level (multiple for more detail)

--short
    Short output format, one line per device

--listdev
    List all detected devices briefly

--dumpdb
    Dump internal hardware database

--only class
    Probe only specified hardware class (e.g., disk, gfxcard)

--disk
    Probe disk drives and controllers

--gfxcard
    Probe graphics cards

--netcard
    Probe network cards

--machine
    Probe machine/chassis info

--memory
    Probe memory modules

--cpu
    Probe processors

-o format, --output-format format
    Output in specified format (table, xml, gml)

-w file, --write file
    Write output to file

-F file, --logfile file
    Log debug info to file

-u
    Unprobed mode (use cached data)

hwinfo is a powerful command-line tool designed to gather comprehensive information about hardware components on Linux systems. It probes devices through various interfaces like PCI, USB, ISA, and more, providing detailed specs on CPUs, memory, disks, graphics cards, network interfaces, and peripherals. Unlike simpler tools like lspci or lsusb, hwinfo offers structured output with extensive details, making it ideal for system diagnostics, inventory, and troubleshooting.

Originally developed for SuSE Linux, it's widely used in distributions like openSUSE and Fedora. Users can query specific hardware classes (e.g., --disk for storage devices) or generate short summaries. Output can be formatted in plain text, XML, or other modes for scripting and automation. It supports verbose logging and filtering, helping administrators identify driver issues or compatibility problems.

Some probes require root privileges; may not detect all virtualized or exotic hardware accurately; output can be verbose and overwhelming without --short.

hwinfo --short --disk
Short list of disks.
hwinfo --gfxcard --verbose
Detailed graphics info.
hwinfo --listdev | grep Network
Filter network devices.

Key classes: cpu, memory, disk, cdrom, gfxcard, netcard, sound, keyboard, mouse, monitor, printer, hub, isapnp, pci, usb, bridge, isdn and more (see hwinfo --help)

Developed by SuSE Linux in the 1990s for hardware detection during installation. Maintained by openSUSE team; version 21+ added JSON/XML support and improved PCI/USB probing. Widely adopted in RPM-based distros for YaST and diagnostics.

lspci(8), lsusb(8), lshw(1), dmidecode(8), lsblk(1), inxi(1)