How to view harddrive temperature in Linux

The harddisk (hdd) lasts longer if it runs within the optimal operating temperature. It is then essential to monitor the hard drive's temperature to ensure its longevity.

Modern harddisk or harddrive typically has a built-in temperature sensor, and the harddisk's built-in S.M.A.R.T. (Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology) system manages the thermal information. S.M.A.R.T. enables monitoring temperature of both magnetic harddrive and Solid State Drive or SSD.

hddtemp is a command-line utility available in Linux to view harddisk temperature.

1. Launch a terminal application.
2. Install hddtemp utility.

   $ sudo apt update && sudo apt install --assume-yes hddtemp 

3. Start hddtemp service.

   $ sudo systemctl start hddtemp

4. Configure hddtemp service to automatically start during system boot.

   $ sudo systemctl enable hddtemp
   hddtemp.service is not a native service, redirecting to systemd-sysv-install.
   Executing: /lib/systemd/systemd-sysv-install enable hddtemp

5. View available disk drives.

   $ lsblk | grep disk
   sda      8:0    0 465.8G  0 disk

6. View temperature of selected disk drive.

   $ sudo hddtemp /dev/sda
   /dev/sda: TOSHIBA MQ01ACF050: 39°C