sensors-conf-convert

sensors-conf-convert [OPTIONS...] [FILE...]

-h, --help
    Display help message and exit.

-V, --version
    Display version information and exit.

-o , --output=
    Write output to the specified file instead of stdout. If FILE is '-', output is written to stdout.

-f, --force
    Overwrite existing output file without prompting.

-i, --interactive
    Prompt before writing any output file, and before converting unsupported sections.

-v, --verbose
    Enable verbose output, showing more details about the conversion process.

-s, --stdout
    Write converted configuration to standard output. This is the default if no output file is specified and -o is not used.

-n, --dry-run
    Perform a dry run. Do not write any files, but show what would be done.

-q, --quiet
    Suppress all non-error output during conversion.

-c , --config=
    Use the specified configuration file as input. If omitted, /etc/sensors.conf is used.

The sensors-conf-convert command is a utility provided by the lm-sensors package. Its primary function is to assist users in migrating their existing sensors.conf configuration files, which are used by older versions of libsensors (typically libsensors2), to the new sensors3.conf format compatible with libsensors3 and later. This conversion is crucial because libsensors3 introduced a new configuration file syntax and structure. The tool attempts to automatically translate the module and chip-specific configurations, aliases, and feature definitions.

It is an essential tool for users upgrading their lm-sensors installation to ensure continued proper hardware monitoring without manual re-creation of the configuration. It is highly recommended to use the dry-run or interactive modes first and always back up original configuration files before performing any conversion.

The conversion process is not always perfect, especially for complex or highly customized configurations. Users should always review the converted file carefully.

It is highly recommended to use the --dry-run option first to preview changes and to always back up the original sensors.conf file before performing any actual conversion. Some old features or custom rules might not have a direct equivalent in the new sensors3.conf format and may require manual adjustment. The tool might prompt for user interaction in --interactive mode for sections it cannot confidently convert automatically.

If no input file is specified using the -c or --config option, sensors-conf-convert will default to processing /etc/sensors.conf. This is the standard location for the lm-sensors configuration file on most Linux distributions.

By default, the converted configuration is printed to standard output (stdout). To write it to a file, use the -o or --output option. A common practice is to redirect the output to /etc/sensors3.conf after careful review, for example: sudo sensors-conf-convert -o /etc/sensors3.conf.

The sensors-conf-convert utility was introduced as part of the lm-sensors project's transition to libsensors3. This transition brought significant changes to the library's internal architecture, including a revised configuration file format. The old sensors.conf file, primarily used with libsensors2, was replaced by sensors3.conf. This command was developed to ease the migration burden for users by automating the translation of existing configurations, ensuring backward compatibility and a smoother upgrade path for hardware monitoring setups.

sensors(1), sensord(8), sensors.conf(5), sensors3.conf(5)