xdriinfo

xdriinfo [options]

-v
    Verbose output. Shows detailed information.

-display
    Specifies the X server to connect to.

The xdriinfo command is a utility in Linux used to query and display information about the Direct Rendering Infrastructure (DRI) capabilities of an X server. DRI allows clients to directly access video hardware, enabling hardware-accelerated rendering for applications like games and video players. xdriinfo provides insights into which DRI drivers are loaded, the versions of DRI and related components (such as GLX), and the supported extensions. This information is useful for debugging graphics-related issues, verifying proper driver installation, and determining the hardware acceleration features available on a system.

It essentially reports the capabilities of the X server related to direct rendering, providing details crucial for developers and system administrators who need to understand the interaction between the X server, graphics drivers, and OpenGL applications. The output is text-based, easy to read and diagnose the root cause of graphical defects. It is often used in conjunction with other tools for more comprehensive graphics system analysis.

xdriinfo relies on the X server's support for the DRI extension. If the X server does not support DRI or if the DRI drivers are not properly installed, xdriinfo may not produce useful output or may report errors.

The xdriinfo command returns an exit status of 0 upon successful completion. Non-zero exit statuses indicate errors during execution, such as failure to connect to the X server or problems with the DRI extension.

The output of xdriinfo includes information about the DRI version, the DRI driver name, GLX version, and supported extensions. Analyze each section to understand capabilities of the X server. If direct rendering is 'Yes', the graphics card is in use correctly.

The Direct Rendering Infrastructure (DRI) was developed to allow client applications direct access to graphics hardware without going through the X server. xdriinfo was created as a tool to report the DRI capabilities exposed by the X server, facilitating debugging and configuration. Its usage is tied to the evolution of DRI and its increasing adoption in Linux systems for hardware-accelerated graphics.

glxinfo(1), xrandr(1)