How to show hardware information in Linux

Hardware checks on a Linux host often start when a server specification, driver handoff, support ticket, or replacement plan needs proof of what the running system can see. Reading the inventory from the operating system shows the processor layout, memory, storage, PCI controllers, and USB devices that the kernel exposes, which can differ from chassis labels or a virtual machine plan.

Linux builds hardware views from sysfs, /proc, udev, firmware tables, and bus scans. lshw gives the broad inventory tree, lscpu focuses on processor topology, lsblk lists block devices, lspci reports PCI hardware, and lsusb reports USB buses and devices.

Some details need root privileges or the matching utility package. Virtual machines, containers, and cloud instances can expose guest-visible devices, blank model strings, or no useful PCI and USB buses, so treat generic names as an environment boundary before treating them as hardware failure.

1. Open a terminal on the Linux system.
2. Display the short whole-system hardware inventory.

   $ sudo lshw -short
   H/W path       Device      Class          Description
   =====================================================
                              system         Workstation
   /0                         bus            Motherboard
   /0/0                       memory         64KiB BIOS
   /0/4                       processor      Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-13700
   /0/42                      memory         32GiB System Memory
   /0/100/1f.6    enp0s31f6   network        Ethernet Connection
   /0/100/17                  storage        SATA Controller
   /0/100/17/0    /dev/sda    disk           1TB SSD
   ##### snipped #####

   lshw reports partial data without root access on many systems. If the command is missing on a minimal install, install the lshw package with the distribution package manager.

3. Check processor architecture and topology.

   $ lscpu
   Architecture:                         x86_64
   CPU op-mode(s):                       32-bit, 64-bit
   Address sizes:                        46 bits physical, 48 bits virtual
   Byte Order:                           Little Endian
   CPU(s):                               16
   On-line CPU(s) list:                  0-15
   Vendor ID:                            GenuineIntel
   Model name:                           Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-13700
   Thread(s) per core:                   2
   Core(s) per socket:                   8
   Socket(s):                            1
   NUMA node(s):                         1
   ##### snipped #####

   lscpu describes the CPU layout exposed to the running Linux environment. In guests or containers, that can differ from the physical host.

4. List top-level block devices and their transport.

   $ lsblk --nodeps --output NAME,MODEL,SIZE,TRAN,TYPE
   NAME    MODEL                  SIZE TRAN   TYPE
   sda     Samsung SSD 870 EVO      1T sata   disk
   nvme0n1 Samsung SSD 980        500G nvme   disk
   sr0     DVD-ROM               1024M sata   rom

   Explicit lsblk columns keep the output stable and avoid the default tree view when only whole devices are needed.
   Related: How to show disk information in Linux

5. Show detected PCI hardware.

   $ lspci
   00:00.0 Host bridge: Intel Corporation Device 7d01
   00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation Raptor Lake-S GT1 [UHD Graphics 770]
   00:14.0 USB controller: Intel Corporation Alder Lake-S PCH USB 3.2 xHCI Host Controller
   00:17.0 SATA controller: Intel Corporation Alder Lake-S PCH SATA Controller [AHCI Mode]
   00:1f.6 Ethernet controller: Intel Corporation Ethernet Connection I219-LM

   lspci comes from the pciutils package on many distributions. Virtual machines usually show the guest chipset or Virtio devices instead of the host motherboard hardware.

6. Show detected USB devices.

   $ lsusb
   Bus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
   Bus 002 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0003 Linux Foundation 3.0 root hub
   Bus 003 Device 002: ID 046d:c534 Logitech, Inc. Unifying Receiver
   Bus 003 Device 003: ID 0781:5581 SanDisk Corp. Ultra
   Bus 003 Device 004: ID 0bda:8153 Realtek Semiconductor Corp. RTL8153 Gigabit Ethernet Adapter

   lsusb comes from the usbutils package on many distributions. Headless servers, containers, or guests without a passed-through controller may show only root hubs or no useful device list.
   Related: How to show USB device details in Linux

7. Sanitize identifying fields before saving or sharing a hardware report.

   $ sudo lshw -sanitize -class system -class processor
   computer
       description: Desktop Computer
       product: Workstation
       vendor: Dell Inc.
       serial: [REMOVED]
       width: 64 bits
     *-cpu
          description: CPU
          product: Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-13700
          vendor: Intel Corp.
          physical id: 4
          bus info: cpu@0
          width: 64 bits
   ##### snipped #####

   -sanitize removes serial numbers, UUIDs, and network addresses from lshw output, but hardware model, platform, bus, and vendor details can still be sensitive in shared reports.