Quick, hands-on inspection of connected PCI and USB devices and their drivers. 16.11.2025 | reading time: 3 min Ever wanted to know which PCI cards and USB devices the kernel sees and which drivers are bound to them? Run the dedicated tools and read the output: `lspci` for PCI buses and `lsusb` for USB buses; the examples below show exactly what to type and what to look for. Run this example now Do it on a live system: copy and paste the commands and inspect the fields after "ID" and "Kernel". Example PCI inspection and a short output snippet: ```bash $ lspci -nnk 00:00.0 Host bridge [0600]: Intel Corporation Device [8086:1916] (rev 07) 00:02.0 VGA compatible controller [0300]: Intel Corporation HD Graphics 620 [8086:5916] (rev 02) Subsystem: Device 2200 Kernel driver in use: i915 ``` And a USB scan returns device lines you can map to physical ports: ```bash $ lsusb Bus 002 Device 003: ID 046d:c52b Logitech, Inc. Unifying Receiver Bus 001 Device 002: ID 8087:8000 Intel Corp. ``` What to read in the output Look at vendor:product IDs in brackets for hardware identification, check the "Kernel driver in use" and "Kernel modules" fields to verify driver binding, and use device descriptions to match ports to hardware; when `lsusb -v` or `lspci -v` is too noisy, target a device with `lspci -s` or filter with `grep` to focus the investigation. Power tools and useful switches Try `lspci -nnk` to see numeric IDs and drivers, `lspci -v` or `-vv` for verbose details, `lspci -t` to view topology, and `lsusb -v` for full USB descriptors or `lsusb -t` for a tree view; use `sudo` with verbose options to see kernel-assigned resources and remember that `-D` opens a specific USB device node when needed. Complementary diagnostics Combine these outputs with kernel logs and udev info: read `dmesg` after plugging hardware, query `udevadm info` for device attributes, and run `lshw` or `inxi` when you need a consolidated hardware report; this lets you move from detection to driver troubleshooting and inventory quickly. Next steps Now that you can list and interpret PCI and USB devices, practice identifying vendor IDs and matching drivers on multiple machines; deepen the skillset by learning kernel module management and hardware troubleshooting techniques to become exam-ready for certifications like CompTIA Linux+ or LPIC-1, with intensive preparation available at bitsandbytes.academy. Join Bits & Bytes Academy First class LINUX exam preparation. utilities troubleshooting infrastructure
