xenial (1) discover.1.gz

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NAME

       discover — hardware detection utility

SYNOPSIS

       discover [DATA_OPTIONS]  [DISPLAY_OPTIONS]  [--bus-summary]  [bus ...]

       discover [DATA_OPTIONS]  [DISPLAY_OPTIONS] --type-summary  [type ...]

       discover  [DATA_OPTIONS] --data-path=path/to/data ...  [--data-version=version]  [--normalize-whitespace]
       [--format=format string]  [type | id ...]

       DATA_OPTIONS

                    •  -d | --disable-bus=bus

                      -e | --enable-bus=bus

                      --insert-url=url

                      --append-url=url

                      -v | --verbose

       DISPLAY_OPTIONS

                    •  --model | --no-model--model-id | --no-model-id--vendor | --no-vendor--vendor-id | --no-vendor-id

Description

       discover provides an extensible hardware detection  and  reporting  interface.  Hardware  information  is
       stored in an XML data format and can be retrieved across the network.

       Fundamental modes of operation:

          •  Display  a  list  of  hardware  devices  based on type of device or system bus on which the devices
             reside, via --type-summary or --bus-summary (the latter of which is the default behavior).

          •  Query specified data for attached hardware, via --data-path.

Options

       -h | --help
                 Display a simple help message.

       -v | --verbose
                 Instruct the tool to provide feedback as it operates. This will affect the output  as  discover
                 parses certain arguments, so this should appear early in the command line.

       -V | --version
                 Display the tool name and version.

       -b | --bus-summary
                 This  is  the  default  behavior:  Display  basic  information  regarding  all  devices  on the
                 appropriate buses. See "Selecting Buses" >.

       -t | --type-summary
                 Summarize devices by class of hardware. Examples  of  valid  device  types  include  broadband,
                 fixeddisk, display, and network.  See "Device Types" >.

       --data-path=path/to/data
                 Query  matching  devices  for  detailed  information.   Device-specific  data  is  stored  in a
                 hierarchical fashion, and the query argument  comprises  strings  naming  each  level  in  that
                 hierarchy.

                 Typically, the top-level component of the data path will be the ``platform'' that will need the
                 information, such as linux or xfree86. For example, to retrieve the Linux  kernel  module  name
                 for a piece of hardware, the --data-path argument would be linux/module/name.

                 If  multiple  --data-path            arguments are given and no format string (see --format) is
                 provided, only the last path is used.

                 See also the --data-version           argument.

       --data-version=version
                 Specify a version string for the platform that  will  use  the  information  specified  by  the
                 argument to --data-path.

                 This  string  must  be  in  dotted-decimal  notation  in order to be matched against a range of
                 values, and thus may be shorter than the real version.

       --format=format string
                 Dictate the output of the results of the queries  specified  by  --data-path  arguments.   This
                 format  string  should follow printf(3) specifications, although only %s and appropriate flags,
                 precision, and width values are supported (or make sense); literal text  and  %%            can
                 also  be  used.   The  behavior  when  the  string  is poorly formatted is undefined.  See also
                 --normalize-whitespace.

       -d | --disable-bus=bus
                 Use this option to override the list of buses to scan by default as defined  in  discover.conf.
                 Use  all  as  an argument to disable all buses; this is useful only if followed by --enable-bus
                 (or -e) arguments.

       -e | --enable-bus=bus
                 Specify a bus to be scanned.

       --insert-url=url
                 Insert a URL at the head of the list of network resources to include in the search for hardware
                 information.   Earlier  data  overrides  later data; to override the local data sources, insert
                 URLs into the list.  See also --append-url.

       --append-url=url
                 Append a URL to the end of the list of network resources to search  for  hardware  information.
                 See also --insert-url.

       --model   Include the model description in summary information. This is enabled by default.

       --model-id
                 Include the numeric model identifier in summary information.

       --no-model
                 Do not include the model description in summary information.

       --no-model-id
                 Do not include the numeric model identifier in summary information. This is the default.

       --vendor  Include the vendor description in summary information. This is enabled by default.

       --vendor-id
                 Include the numeric vendor identifier in summary information.

       --no-vendor
                 Do not include the vendor description in summary information.

       --no-vendor-id
                 Do not include the numeric vendor identifier in summary information. This is the default.

       --normalize-whitespace
                 Consolidate  whitespace  in  the  results of a --data-path query.  The default is not to do so,
                 which faithfully reproduces all text in the raw XML data.

                 With this option enabled, leading and trailing  whitespace  is  removed,  and  any  consecutive
                 internal whitespaces are compressed to a single space character.

Selecting Buses

       discover.conf  defines  two  lists  of  system  buses:  one  to  scan  by  default  (used by the discover
       command), and one never to scan (used by the Discover library).

       You can override and/or extend the list of default buses with --disable-bus and --enable-bus.   The  list
       of  buses  not  to  scan cannot be overridden without changing discover.conf, so that list should be used
       only for buses that may be dangerous to probe.

       Both arguments take the string ``all'' as a value.

       If a bus summary is being performed, which is indicated either by the presence of  --bus-summary  or  the
       absence  of  --type-summary  and  --data-path,  any  unattached  arguments  on  the  command line will be
       interpreted as the only buses to scan.  This is equivalent to using  --disable-bus  all  before  invoking
       --enable-bus     for the buses of interest.

       The following buses are currently supported by Discover:

          •  atapcipcmciascsiusb

Device Types

       Discover  defines  its own device types, to which the device types used by each bus are mapped.  Discover
       currently recognizes the following device types:

          •  audio

                 A device capable of producing an analog or digital sound signal is an audio device.  Typically,
                 any  device  commonly  referred  to  as  a ``sound card'' is classified by Discover as an audio
                 device.

          •  bridge

                 A device that provides access to devices of a different type, commonly on a different bus, is a
                 bridge  device.   For instance, consumer PCI chipsets often feature a bridge to ATA (also known
                 as IDE) devices.

          •  broadband

                 An interface device to a computer communications network implemented on top of a technology not
                 explicitly designed for that purpose is a broadband     device.  Examples include ISDN terminal
                 adapters as well as DSL and cable ``modems''; analog phone-line modems are not included in this
                 classification (see ``modem'' below).

          •  display

                 A  device  controlled  by  the host machine's CPU and capable of producing an analog or digital
                 video signal for output purposes is a display device.  Typically, any device commonly  referred
                 to as a ``video card'' is classified by Discover as a display device.

          •  fixeddisk

                 A  high-speed,  fixed  magnetic storage device such as a hard disk drive is a fixeddisk device.
                 Removable media devices such as floppy disk drives,  CD-ROM  drives,  magneto-optical  devices,
                 tape drives, and Compact Flash card readers are not included in this classification.

          •  humaninput

                 A  device  that  receives tactile input from a person for the purpose of directing a computer's
                 activity is a humaninput device.  Examples  include  keyboards,  mice,  trackballs,  joysticks,
                 gamepads,  digital  tablets  manipulated  with a stylus or finger, and so forth.  Input devices
                 that rely upon non-tactile means of determining a person's intent, such  as  speech-recognition
                 devices or cameras, are not included in this classification.

          •  imaging

                 A  device  that  captures  still  images for input purposes is an imaging device.  Scanners and
                 digital cameras are examples of imaging devices.  Motion-capture  devices  such  as  television
                 tuner cards, webcams, and digital video cameras are not included in this classification.

          •  miscellaneous

                 Any  device  that  cannot  logically  be  classified  as another device type is a miscellaneous
                 device.

          •  modem

                 An analog phone-line modulator/demodulator (modem) is classified by Discover as a modem device.
                 No other kind of device is so classified.

          •  network

                 An  interface  device  to  a  conventional  computer  data communications network that does not
                 require the use of a terminal adapter is a network device.  For  example,  Ethernet  and  Token
                 Ring  network interface cards are network devices.  Analog phone-line modems; terminal adapters
                 for technologies such as ISDN and DSL; and ``cable modems''     are not ``network'' devices.

          •  optical

                 An optical-technology storage device, often using read-only media, is an  optical  device.   By
                 far the most common examples of these devices are CD-ROM and DVD-ROM drives, including versions
                 of these drives that can ``burn'' (write to) optical discs.

          •  printer

                 A device that renders visual output in a permanent  or  semi-permanent  manner  to  a  physical
                 medium  is  a printer.  Typically, any device colloquially referred to as a ``printer'' is also
                 classified by Discover as a printer.

          •  removabledisk

                 Storage devices that feature removable media using just about any  technology  except  that  of
                 magnetic  tape,  CD-ROM, and DVD-ROM drives are removabledisk devices.  Examples include floppy
                 disk drives, magneto-optical drives, and Compact Flash card readers.

          •  tape

                 A sequential-access mass storage device using magnetic tape is a tape  device.   Commonly  used
                 for archival and backup purposes, DAT drives are examples of tape devices.

          •  video

                 A  device  that  produces  a  real-time  digital  video  signal  for  input purposes is a video
                 device.  Webcams, digital video cameras, and television tuners are examples of  video  devices.
                 Note  that  still  digital  cameras  with ``movie'' capability are not considered video devices
                 unless they can transmit the live video signal to the host in real time.

Examples

       Scan the local buses

       # discover
       Intel Corporation 82815 Chipset Host Bridge and Memory Controller Hub
       unknown unknown
       unknown unknown
       unknown unknown
       Intel Corporation 82815 Chipset IDE controller
       Intel Corporation 82815 Chipset USB (A)
       Intel Corporation 82815 System Management bus controller
       ATI Technologies, Inc. Rage 128 Pro GL [PF]
       3Com Corporation 3c905C-TX [Fast Etherlink]
       Ensoniq ES1371 [AudioPCI-97]
       unknown unknown

       View PCI video cards

       # discover -v --type-summary --disable-bus all --enable-bus pci display
       Disabled pci
       Disabled pcmcia
       Disabled scsi
       Disabled usb
       Enabled pci
       Loading XML data... pci Done
       Scanning buses... pci Done
       ATI Technologies, Inc. Rage 128 Pro GL [PF]

       Query for the driver module for XFree86 server version 4.2.0

       # discover --data-path=xfree86/server/device/driver --data-version=4.2.0 display
       ati

       Get model and vendor information by type

       $ discover -t --no-model
       Intel Corporation
       NVIDIA Corporation
       3Com Corporation
       $ discover -t --no-vendor
       82815 System Management bus controller
       Vanta [NV6]
       3c905C-TX [Fast Etherlink]

Files

       /etc/discover.conf.d
                 The directory containing configuration files that control the default  behavior  for  both  the
                 discover tool and the Discover library.

       file:///lib/discover/list.xml
                 An XML file containing URLs with hardware information. This list can be extended with --append-
                 url and --extend-url.

Authors

       Josh Bressers, John R. Daily, and G. Branden Robinson developed the current  implementation  of  Discover
       for Progeny Linux Systems.

       The Linux implementation of the system-dependent interfaces is derived from detect, by MandrakeSoft SA.

See Also

       discover.conf(5), discover-modprobe(8)

                                                                                                     discover(1)