How to Check Hardware Info with `lshw` on Arch Linux

When managing a Linux system, one of the most important tasks is understanding the underlying hardware. Whether you are troubleshooting, upgrading, or simply taking inventory, having access to detailed hardware information is essential. On Arch Linux, the command-line tool lshw (short for “list hardware”) provides a comprehensive way to display detailed information about your system’s hardware components.

This article will guide you through installing, using, and interpreting the output of lshw on Arch Linux, along with some best practices and complementary tools.

What is lshw?

lshw is a small but powerful command-line utility that provides detailed information on the hardware configuration of a machine. It reports data on a wide range of components, including:

• CPU
• RAM
• Motherboard
• Firmware (BIOS/UEFI)
• Graphics
• Network interfaces
• Storage (disks and controllers)
• USB controllers and peripherals

Unlike some other tools that offer limited or generic info (like lscpu or lsblk), lshw dives deeper by collecting data from multiple system sources such as /proc, /sys, and DMI tables.

Installing lshw on Arch Linux

On Arch Linux, lshw is not included in the base system and must be installed from the official repositories. To install it, use pacman:

sudo pacman -S lshw

This will install the lshw binary and its man page.

Running lshw – Basic Usage

Once installed, you can run lshw with the following command:

sudo lshw

Note: Running lshw without sudo may result in incomplete information because some data requires root privileges to access.

The output is typically long and may include hundreds of lines. It is structured in a tree-like format, displaying hardware components and their properties.

Here is a sample snippet of what part of the output might look like:

*-cpu
     description: CPU
     product: Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-8565U CPU @ 1.80GHz
     vendor: Intel Corp.
     physical id: 3
     bus info: cpu@0
     size: 1800MHz
     capacity: 4600MHz
     width: 64 bits

To make this output easier to work with, you can redirect it to a file:

sudo lshw > hardware_report.txt

Display Formats

By default, lshw shows output in a human-readable format, but it also supports several other formats that are useful for scripting or integration into monitoring systems.

Short Format

To get a summarized list of detected devices, you can use:

sudo lshw -short

This provides a concise table of hardware devices and their descriptions:

H/W path       Device      Class          Description
=====================================================
/0/0                       memory         64KiB BIOS
/0/2                       memory         16GiB System Memory
/0/2/0                     memory         8GiB SODIMM DDR4
/0/2/1                     memory         8GiB SODIMM DDR4
/0/3                       processor      Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-8565U CPU @ 1.80GHz

XML Output

For exporting or parsing with external programs:

sudo lshw -xml > hardware_info.xml

JSON Output

For modern automation scripts or integration with APIs:

sudo lshw -json > hardware_info.json

Filtering Output by Class

You can limit lshw’s output to specific hardware types using the -class option. For example:

Show only CPU information

sudo lshw -class processor

Show memory information

sudo lshw -class memory

Show storage devices

sudo lshw -class disk

Other available classes include: display, network, storage, multimedia, communication, and more.

To see all possible classes, you can explore the full output once and then narrow it down in future queries.

Understanding the Output

Here’s a quick breakdown of key fields in lshw output:

• description – A short text describing the component.
• product – The model or product name.
• vendor – The manufacturer of the component.
• physical id – Physical location or ID used by the kernel.
• bus info – The device’s address on the system bus.
• version – Firmware or hardware revision.
• serial – Serial number (if available).
• size/capacity – Memory size or device capacity.
• width – Bit-width of the data bus (e.g., 32-bit or 64-bit).

This information is particularly useful for:

• Verifying the installed RAM and its speed.
• Identifying storage interfaces (SATA vs NVMe).
• Checking GPU vendor/model before installing drivers.
• Confirming CPU model and virtualization support.

Real-World Examples

1. Verify CPU Model and Cores

sudo lshw -class processor

Look for entries like:

*-cpu
     product: AMD Ryzen 7 5800X
     size: 3800MHz
     capacity: 4700MHz
     cores: 8

2. Check RAM Configuration

sudo lshw -class memory

This will show you the number of memory slots used, total capacity, and each module’s size/speed.

3. Identify Network Interfaces

sudo lshw -class network

Useful for determining if you’re using Intel, Realtek, or Broadcom interfaces and checking driver compatibility.

4. Examine Disk Controllers and Drives

sudo lshw -class disk -class storage

See details such as disk type, interface (NVMe/SATA), and vendor info.

When and Why to Use lshw

There are several use cases where lshw proves to be an indispensable tool:

• Troubleshooting hardware issues – Confirming component specifications and presence.
• Pre-installation checks – Ensuring compatibility before installing specialized drivers or software.
• Remote inventory auditing – Automating data collection across multiple systems.
• Upgrades and planning – Checking open RAM slots, current disk interface, or GPU model.

Complementary Tools

While lshw is powerful, it works even better alongside a few other utilities:

For example, inxi -Fxz provides a clean overview and can supplement lshw in reports.

Tips and Best Practices

• Always run lshw with sudo to ensure full hardware visibility.
• Use -short for quick overviews or tables.
• Redirect output to files (> output.txt) for documentation or offline analysis.
• For scripts or system integration, prefer JSON or XML output.
• Consider using watch or cron jobs with lshw to periodically log hardware changes.

Conclusion

Understanding the hardware makeup of your system is essential for both system administrators and power users. On Arch Linux, lshw is a highly capable utility that fills this need with comprehensive and reliable hardware data.

Whether you’re diagnosing a hardware issue, preparing for an upgrade, or auditing a fleet of systems, lshw gives you the insight you need to make informed decisions. When combined with other tools like lscpu, inxi, or lsblk, it becomes part of a robust toolbox for system analysis and maintenance.

So the next time you need to know what’s under the hood of your Arch system, don’t guess—use lshw.