Hardware and Drivers on Linux

How to see hardware details

An easy way is to see it using a GUI:
a) $ sudo apt-get install hardinfo
b) $ sudo apt-get install sysinfo


When thebrigthness does not work properly:
http://www.vivaolinux.com.br/topico/Ubuntu-Ultimate/Ajuste-do-brilho-da-tela


Some very usefull linux commands to see hardware/drivers details, (overall or specific)
http://www.linuxnix.com/2009/09/how-to-get-bios-firmware-and-installed-drivers-details.html
http://www.linuxnix.com/2013/05/find-hardware-info-with-lshw-hardinfo-sysinfo-linuxunix-commands.html


For more specific information about drivers, use command dmesg:
dmesg will give us details about hardware drivers connected to, disconnected from a machine and any errors when hardware driver is loaded into the kernel
http://www.linuxnix.com/2013/05/what-is-linuxunix-dmesg-command-and-how-to-use-it.html

LSPCI
To see several details of the pci slots such as network card, sound card, etc:
http://www.linuxnix.com/2013/05/find-hardware-details-using-lspci-command-in-linux.html

$ lspci, all information together
$ lspci   -vmm   -->Shows Information in a more understandable format.


Driver
To see the, Kernel driver in use, add the -v parameter

For example, here we can see the details of a wireless device that present an error. Actually the wireless was not working on that moment.

$ lspci -v
       .........
08:00.0 Network controller: Intel Corporation Centrino Wireless-N 2230 (rev c4)
Subsystem: Intel Corporation Centrino Wireless-N 2230 BGN
Flags: fast devsel, IRQ 47
Memory at c1500000 (64-bit, non-prefetchable) [disabled] [size=8K]
Capabilities: [c8] Power Management version 3
Capabilities: [d0] MSI: Enable- Count=1/1 Maskable- 64bit+
Capabilities: [e0] Express Endpoint, MSI 00
Capabilities: [100] Advanced Error Reporting
Capabilities: [140] Device Serial Number 60-6c-66-ff-ff-43-d3-ed
Kernel driver in use: iwlwifi

Details for lsusb
http://www.linuxnix.com/2013/05/find-usb-device-details-in-linuxunix-using-lsusb-command.html


Modprobe
How to see the modules or driver installed, add and remove new ones.
http://www.thegeekstuff.com/2010/11/modprobe-command-examples/

Monitor commands  
Use the command watch http://www.linuxnix.com/2013/05/linux-watch-command-to-monitor-a-command.html
$ watch ifconfig


RAM
Use command free to understand details about ram http://www.linuxnix.com/2013/05/find-ram-size-in-linuxunix.html
$ free
More about ram  http://www.linuxnix.com/2013/05/find-ram-details-in-linuxunix.html


Network
http://www.linuxnix.com/2013/06/find-network-cardwiredwireless-details-in-linuxunix.html

$ ip link show  -> will show details about the active connection : state DOWN or state UP

Details about a network card driver

............:~$ ethtool -i wlan0

driver: iwlwifi

version: 3.8.0-35-generic

firmware-version: 18.168.6.1

bus-info: 0000:08:00.0

supports-statistics: yes

supports-test: no

supports-eeprom-access: no

supports-register-dump: no

supports-priv-flags: no

* Complete network card software details like speed, modes, negotiations, link status etc.

.....$ ethtool eth0

* Complete network card hardware details.

....$  lshw -class network

Finally to detect errors,  you can run complete test from ubuntu for example from gui. It will internally run several of the command above.

Just write "System Testing" on ubuntu where you find for programs and click on continue and so on.

Note: You can use grep in your commands to filter lines and just see what is interesting for you.

Ex 

$ grep "boo" file.html -> will find all the lines that have boo inside the file file.html

$ grep -v "boo" file.html -> will do the opposite. It will return all line except the ones that have boo.