node-smbios

Cross-platform Node.js native addon for reading SMBIOS (System Management BIOS) / DMI (Desktop Management Interface) hardware information.

Features

• 🖥️ Cross-platform - Works on Windows, macOS, and Linux
• ⚡ Fast - Native C++ implementation for optimal performance
• 📦 Easy to use - Simple JavaScript API
• 🔒 No external dependencies - Uses platform-native APIs
• 🎯 Comprehensive - Reads BIOS, System, Board, Processor, Memory, and Chassis information
• 🔧 Stable - Uses N-API for compatibility across Node.js versions

Installation

npm install node-smbios

How Installation Works

The package uses prebuilt native binaries for most users:

1. First: Attempts to download a prebuilt binary from GitHub Releases

   • Binaries are available for common platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux
   • Supports Node.js versions: 16, 18, 20, 22
   • Covers architectures: x64, arm64

2. Fallback: If no prebuilt binary is available, it compiles from source

   • Requires build tools (see below)
   • Takes longer but works on any platform

Benefits:

• ✅ Most users get instant installation (no compilation needed)
• ✅ No build tools required for common platforms
• ✅ Automatic fallback ensures compatibility

Build Tools (Only if Compiling from Source)

Node.js:

• Node.js >= 16.0.0
• npm (comes with Node.js)

Build Tools:

The package requires native compilation tools on each platform:

Windows

You need Visual Studio Build Tools (or full Visual Studio) with C++ support:

Option 1: Install Visual Studio 2022 or later

• Download from Visual Studio Downloads
• During installation, select "Desktop development with C++" workload
• Includes MSVC compiler, Windows SDK, and MSBuild

Option 2: Install Build Tools only

npm install --global windows-build-tools

Required components:

• MSVC C++ compiler
• Windows SDK (10 or 11)
• MSBuild

Dependencies/Libraries used:

• Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) - Built into Windows
• wbemuuid.lib - Links automatically via #pragma comment

macOS

Install Xcode Command Line Tools:

xcode-select --install

Required components:

• Clang/LLVM C++ compiler
• macOS SDK

System frameworks used:

• IOKit.framework - For hardware information access
• CoreFoundation.framework - For data type conversions

Minimum macOS version: 10.13 (High Sierra)

Linux

Install build essentials and development tools:

Debian/Ubuntu:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -y build-essential python3

Red Hat/Fedora/CentOS:

sudo yum install gcc gcc-c++ make python3
# or on newer versions:
sudo dnf install gcc gcc-c++ make python3

Arch Linux:

sudo pacman -S base-devel python

Required components:

• GCC/G++ compiler (version 7.0+)
• GNU Make
• Python 3 (for node-gyp)

System dependencies:

• No external libraries required (reads from /sys/class/dmi/id/ and /proc/)
• May require read permissions for DMI files (usually root or sudo)

Verifying Installation

After installation, verify it works:

node -e "const smbios = require('node-smbios'); console.log(smbios.getSystemInfo());"

Forcing Source Build

If you want to compile from source instead of using prebuilt binaries:

npm install node-smbios --build-from-source

Usage

const smbios = require('node-smbios');

// Get BIOS information
const biosInfo = smbios.getBiosInfo();
console.log('BIOS Vendor:', biosInfo.vendor);
console.log('BIOS Version:', biosInfo.version);
console.log('Release Date:', biosInfo.releaseDate);

// Get System information
const systemInfo = smbios.getSystemInfo();
console.log('Manufacturer:', systemInfo.manufacturer);
console.log('Product:', systemInfo.productName);
console.log('Serial:', systemInfo.serialNumber);
console.log('UUID:', systemInfo.uuid);

// Get Board information
const boardInfo = smbios.getBoardInfo();
console.log('Board Manufacturer:', boardInfo.manufacturer);
console.log('Board Product:', boardInfo.product);

// Get Processor information
const procInfo = smbios.getProcessorInfo();
console.log('CPU:', procInfo.version);
console.log('Cores:', procInfo.coreCount);
console.log('Threads:', procInfo.threadCount);

// Get Memory information
const memInfo = smbios.getMemoryInfo();
console.log('Total Memory:', memInfo.totalPhysicalMemory);
console.log('Available Memory:', memInfo.availablePhysicalMemory);

// Get Chassis information
const chassisInfo = smbios.getChassisInfo();
console.log('Chassis Type:', chassisInfo.type);
console.log('Manufacturer:', chassisInfo.manufacturer);

// Get ALL information at once
const allInfo = smbios.getAllInfo();
console.log(JSON.stringify(allInfo, null, 2));

API Reference

getBiosInfo()

Returns BIOS information:

• vendor - BIOS manufacturer
• version - BIOS version
• releaseDate - BIOS release date
• biosCharacteristics - Additional BIOS characteristics

getSystemInfo()

Returns system information:

• manufacturer - System manufacturer
• productName - System product/model name
• serialNumber - System serial number
• uuid - System UUID
• skuNumber - SKU number
• family - Product family
• wakeUpType - Wake-up type

getBoardInfo()

Returns motherboard/baseboard information:

• manufacturer - Board manufacturer
• product - Board product name
• version - Board version
• serialNumber - Board serial number
• assetTag - Asset tag
• locationInChassis - Location in chassis

getProcessorInfo()

Returns processor information:

• manufacturer - CPU manufacturer
• version - CPU model name
• socketDesignation - CPU socket
• processorType - Processor type
• processorFamily - Processor family
• maxSpeed - Maximum speed (MHz)
• currentSpeed - Current speed (MHz)
• coreCount - Number of cores
• threadCount - Number of threads
• l2CacheSize - L2 cache size (KB)
• l3CacheSize - L3 cache size (KB)

getMemoryInfo()

Returns memory information:

• totalPhysicalMemory - Total physical memory (bytes)
• availablePhysicalMemory - Available physical memory (bytes)
• totalVirtualMemory - Total virtual memory (bytes)
• availableVirtualMemory - Available virtual memory (bytes)
• memoryDevices - Number of memory devices
• maxCapacity - Maximum memory capacity

getChassisInfo()

Returns chassis information:

• manufacturer - Chassis manufacturer
• type - Chassis type
• version - Chassis version
• serialNumber - Chassis serial number
• assetTag - Asset tag
• bootUpState - Boot-up state
• powerSupplyState - Power supply state
• thermalState - Thermal state

getAllInfo()

Returns all information in a single object with keys: bios, system, board, processor, memory, chassis.

Platform-Specific Notes

Windows

• Uses WMI (Windows Management Instrumentation)
• Supports Windows 7 and later
• May require administrator privileges for some detailed information

macOS

• Uses IOKit framework
• Accesses IORegistry for system information
• Works on macOS 10.13 and later
• Some processor/memory details may require additional system calls

Linux

• Reads from /sys/class/dmi/id/ for DMI information
• Reads from /proc/cpuinfo and /proc/meminfo for processor and memory details
• May require root privileges to access some DMI files
• Works on most modern Linux distributions

Building from Source

If you want to build the addon from source or contribute to development:

1. Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/oxmc/node-smbios.git
cd node-smbios

2. Install Dependencies

npm install

This installs:

• node-addon-api - N-API C++ wrapper classes
• node-gyp - Build tool for native addons

3. Build the Native Addon

npm run build

This runs node-gyp rebuild which:

1. Generates platform-specific build files (Visual Studio solution on Windows, Makefile on Unix)
2. Compiles the C++ source files:
   • src/binding.cpp - N-API bindings
   • src/smbios_common.cpp - Common utilities
   • Platform-specific file: src/windows/smbios_windows.cpp, src/mac/smbios_macos.cpp, or src/linux/smbios_linux.cpp
3. Links with platform-specific libraries
4. Outputs build/Release/smbios.node (the compiled addon)

4. Run Tests

npm test

This runs example.js which demonstrates all API functions.

Build Configuration

The build process is configured in binding.gyp:

Common settings:

• C++11 or later required
• N-API based (no V8 API dependencies)
• Exception handling enabled

Platform-specific compilation:

• Windows: Compiles with MSVC, links against wbemuuid.lib for WMI
• macOS: Compiles with Clang, links against IOKit and CoreFoundation frameworks
• Linux: Compiles with GCC, no external libraries needed

Development Commands

# Clean build artifacts
npm run clean

# Rebuild (clean + build)
npm run build

# Install and build (as end user would)
npm install

# Run example/test
npm test

Project Structure

node-smbios/
├── src/
│   ├── binding.cpp              # N-API entry point
│   ├── smbios_common.h          # Common data structures
│   ├── smbios_common.cpp        # Utility functions
│   ├── windows/
│   │   └── smbios_windows.cpp   # Windows WMI implementation
│   ├── mac/
│   │   └── smbios_macos.cpp     # macOS IOKit implementation
│   └── linux/
│       └── smbios_linux.cpp     # Linux /sys/dmi implementation
├── binding.gyp                  # node-gyp configuration
├── package.json                 # npm package configuration
├── index.js                     # JavaScript entry point
└── example.js                   # Usage examples

Debugging Build Issues

Enable verbose output:

npm run build -- --verbose

Check node-gyp version:

npx node-gyp --version

Manually rebuild:

npx node-gyp clean
npx node-gyp configure
npx node-gyp build

Common issues:

• Python not found: node-gyp requires Python 3.x
• Compiler not found: Install platform build tools (see Prerequisites)
• Permission errors: On Linux, some DMI files require root access

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

1. Fork the repository
2. Create your feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add some amazing feature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
5. Open a Pull Request

Releasing

This project uses automated releases via GitHub Actions. To create a new release:

1. Update the version in package.json:

   npm version patch  # or minor, or major

2. Push the tag to GitHub:

   git push && git push --tags

3. GitHub Actions will automatically:

   • Build native binaries for all supported platforms (Windows, macOS, Linux)
   • Upload binaries to GitHub Releases
   • Publish the package to npm

See .github/RELEASE.md for more details on the release process.

Troubleshooting

Build Errors

Windows:

npm install --global windows-build-tools

macOS:

xcode-select --install

Linux (Debian/Ubuntu):

sudo apt-get install build-essential

Permission Issues

Some SMBIOS information may require elevated privileges:

Windows: Run as Administrator

Linux: Run with sudo or add your user to appropriate groups

macOS: Usually works without special privileges

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details.

Author

Your Name [email protected]

Acknowledgments

• Uses node-addon-api for N-API bindings
• Inspired by system information tools across different platforms

Related Projects

• systeminformation - Comprehensive system and OS information
• node-dmidecode - Linux dmidecode wrapper
• wmi-client - Windows WMI client

Changelog

See CHANGELOG.md for release history.