intel_audio_dump

intel_audio_dump [-d DEVICE] [-s STREAM_ID] [-o FILE] [-v] [-h]

-d DEVICE
    Specifies the DRI device path to dump. Defaults to /dev/dri/card0 if not specified.

-s STREAM_ID
    Selects a specific audio stream ID to dump. Useful when multiple streams are active.

-o FILE
    Outputs the dump content to the specified file instead of standard output.

-v
    Enables verbose output, providing more detailed information.

-h
    Displays the help message and exits.

The intel_audio_dump command is a specialized diagnostic utility from the igt-gpu-tools suite. It's designed to assist developers and advanced users in debugging audio issues on Intel graphics hardware, particularly those related to HDMI or DisplayPort audio output. This tool works by reading and displaying the raw register values of the audio processing unit (Codec) and associated stream information on the Intel graphics card. It provides insight into the current state of the audio stream, including active channels, sample rates, and various status bits, which can be crucial for identifying problems with audio initialization, playback, or display synchronization. It is primarily used by developers working on Intel graphics drivers or multimedia frameworks.

This command requires root privileges or appropriate permissions to access DRI devices (e.g., /dev/dri/card0).
It is a low-level debugging tool and its output is primarily intended for driver developers or those familiar with Intel audio hardware architecture.
The output format can be cryptic without knowledge of Intel's register specifications.

The primary purpose of intel_audio_dump is to provide a snapshot of the audio engine's state directly from hardware registers. This information is invaluable for debugging issues such as no audio output, incorrect audio formats, audio stuttering, or synchronization problems, by verifying the expected hardware configuration against the actual state.

The output typically consists of register addresses and their hexadecimal values, often accompanied by decoded interpretations of certain bits or fields relevant to audio stream status, codec configuration, and link status. The exact format can vary based on the specific Intel GPU generation and driver version.

The intel_audio_dump command is part of the igt-gpu-tools (Intel GPU Tools) suite, which has evolved alongside Intel's open-source graphics drivers. It was developed to provide specific diagnostic capabilities for audio pathways within the graphics hardware, addressing the increasing complexity of multimedia output via interfaces like HDMI and DisplayPort.

igt-gpu-tools(7), drm(7)