Quickly identify PCI hardware and the drivers the kernel uses from the shell. 07.04.2026 | reading time: 2 min You need to know what PCI hardware a Linux box actually sees; lspci reveals the system view of PCI and PCIe devices so you can identify devices and check drivers quickly. Real-world check Say a laptop shows no GPU acceleration; run the command and inspect the device and driver lines exactly: ``` lspci -nnk | grep -A3 VGA ``` Example output might look like: ``` 00:02.0 VGA compatible controller [0300]: Intel Corporation UHD Graphics 620 [8086:5917] (rev 07) Subsystem: Lenovo Device [17aa:3912] Kernel driver in use: i915 ``` This proves the kernel loaded the i915 driver for the Intel GPU and gives numeric IDs you can use to search pci.ids or driver databases. Options to dig deeper When you need more detail, use verbs: `-v` or `-vv` for verbose, `-k` to show kernel drivers and modules, `-nn` to display numeric vendor:device IDs, `-D` to include domain numbers, and `-s` to filter by slot; combine flags to answer precise questions quickly. Practical uses beyond the list Use lspci to validate PCI passthrough for virtual machines, audit hardware on headless servers, confirm RAID/host bus adapters before driver install, or find exact vendor:device pairs for firmware and kernel module searches. Tools that help together Pair lspci with kernel and module tools: check loaded modules with `lsmod`, inspect kernel messages with `dmesg` after a hotplug, query module info with `modinfo`, and use `udevadm` to trace device event handling for end-to-end troubleshooting. A concise next step Practice by listing devices on a laptop and a VM, compare `lspci -k` outputs, then follow vendor:device IDs into the pci.ids database to learn exact hardware details; deepen this habit to speed troubleshooting and hardware inventory tasks while preparing for certifications. Join Bits & Bytes Academy First class LINUX exam preparation. utilities troubleshooting infrastructure
