Databases, Systems & Networks

I want to add more RAM to my server running Ubuntu Linux. How do I find out my current RAM chip information such as its speed, type and manufacturer name within a Linux system without opening the case?

You need to use the dmidecode command which is a tool for dumping a computer’s DMI (some say SMBIOS) table contents in a human-readable format. This table contains a description of the system’s hardware components (such as RAM), as well as other useful pieces of information such as serial numbers and BIOS revision. Thanks to this table, you can retrieve hardware information without having to probe for the actual hardware. Open a command-line terminal (select Applications > Accessories > Terminal), and then type:

$ sudo dmidecode --type memory

OR

# dmidecode --type memory | less

OR

$ sudo dmidecode --type 17

Sample outputs:

# dmidecode 2.10
SMBIOS version fixup (2.51 -> 2.6).
SMBIOS 2.6 present.
Handle 0x0011, DMI type 16, 15 bytes
Physical Memory Array
	Location: System Board Or Motherboard
	Use: System Memory
	Error Correction Type: None
	Maximum Capacity: 4 GB
	Error Information Handle: Not Provided
	Number Of Devices: 4
Handle 0x0012, DMI type 17, 27 bytes
Memory Device
	Array Handle: 0x0011
	Error Information Handle: No Error
	Total Width: 72 bits
	Data Width: 64 bits
	Size: 2048 MB
	Form Factor: DIMM
	Set: 1
	Locator: DIMM#1A
	Bank Locator: Bank 1
	Type: DDR2
	Type Detail: Synchronous
	Speed: 667 MHz
	Manufacturer: Not Specified
	Serial Number: Not Specified
	Asset Tag: Not Specified
	Part Number: Not Specified
Handle 0x0013, DMI type 17, 27 bytes
Memory Device
	Array Handle: 0x0011
	Error Information Handle: No Error
	Total Width: 72 bits
	Data Width: 64 bits
	Size: 2048 MB
	Form Factor: DIMM
	Set: 1
	Locator: DIMM#2A
	Bank Locator: Bank 2
	Type: DDR2
	Type Detail: Synchronous
	Speed: 667 MHz
	Manufacturer: Not Specified
	Serial Number: Not Specified
	Asset Tag: Not Specified
	Part Number: Not Specified
Handle 0x0014, DMI type 17, 27 bytes
Memory Device
	Array Handle: 0x0011
	Error Information Handle: No Error
	Total Width: 72 bits
	Data Width: 64 bits
	Size: 2048 MB
	Form Factor: DIMM
	Set: 1
	Locator: DIMM#1B
	Bank Locator: Bank 1
	Type: DDR2
	Type Detail: Synchronous
	Speed: 667 MHz
	Manufacturer: Not Specified
	Serial Number: Not Specified
	Asset Tag: Not Specified
	Part Number: Not Specified
Handle 0x0015, DMI type 17, 27 bytes
Memory Device
	Array Handle: 0x0011
	Error Information Handle: No Error
	Total Width: 72 bits
	Data Width: 64 bits
	Size: 2048 MB
	Form Factor: DIMM
	Set: 1
	Locator: DIMM#2B
	Bank Locator: Bank 2
	Type: DDR2
	Type Detail: Synchronous
	Speed: 667 MHz
	Manufacturer: Not Specified
	Serial Number: Not Specified
	Asset Tag: Not Specified
	Part Number: Not Specified

Source: nixCraft

How can I use dd command on a Linux to test I/O performance of my hard disk drive? How do I check the performance of a hard drive including the read and write speed on a Linux operating systems?

You can use the following commands on a Linux or Unix-like systems for simple I/O performance test:

dd command : It is used to monitor the writing performance of a disk device on a Linux and Unix-like system.

hdparm command : It is used to get/set hard disk parameters including test the reading and caching performance of a disk device on a Linux based system.

In this tutorial you will learn how to use the dd command to test disk I/O performance.

Use dd command to monitor the reading and writing performance of a disk device:

1. Open a shell prompt.
2. Or login to a remote server via ssh.
3. Use the dd command to measure server throughput (write speed)

dd if=/dev/zero of=/tmp/test1.img bs=1G count=1 oflag=dsync

1. Use the dd command to measure server latency

dd if=/dev/zero of=/tmp/test2.img bs=512 count=1000 oflag=dsync

Lire la suite…