discover(1)



discover(1)                 General Commands Manual                discover(1)

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-ver-
       sion=version]    [--normalize-whitespace]    [--format=format   string]
       [type | id ...]

       DATA_OPTIONS

                    o  -d | --disable-bus=bus

                    o  -e | --enable-bus=bus

                    o  --insert-url=url

                    o  --append-url=url

                    o  -v | --verbose

       DISPLAY_OPTIONS

                    o  --model | --no-model

                    o  --model-id | --no-model-id

                    o  --vendor | --no-vendor

                    o  --vendor-id | --no-vendor-id

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

       Fundamental modes of operation:

          o  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).

          o  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 re-
                 garding all devices on the appropriate buses. See  "Selecting
                 Buses" >.

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

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

                 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 de-
                 fault as defined in discover.conf. Use all as an argument  to
                 disable  all  buses; this is useful only if followed by --en-
                 able-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, in-
                 sert 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 infor-
                 mation. 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 in-
                 formation. 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 com-
                 pressed 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  --dis-
       able-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:

          o  ata

          o  pci

          o  pcmcia

          o  scsi

          o  usb

Device Types
       Discover  defines  its own device types, to which the device types used
       by each bus are mapped.  Discover     currently recognizes the  follow-
       ing device types:

          o  audio

                 A device capable of producing an analog or digital sound sig-
                 nal is an audio device.  Typically, any device  commonly  re-
                 ferred to as a ``sound card'' is classified by Discover as an
                 audio device.

          o  bridge

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

          o  broadband

                 An  interface device to a computer communications network im-
                 plemented 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 classifica-
                 tion (see ``modem'' below).

          o  display

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

          o  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.

          o  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,  joy-
                 sticks,  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.

          o  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  in-
                 cluded in this classification.

          o  miscellaneous

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

          o  modem

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

          o  network

                 An interface device to a conventional computer data  communi-
                 cations  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.

          o  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.

          o  printer

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

          o  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.

          o  tape

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

          o  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)

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