SPDMEM(4)

📦
version 11.0 · 2 versions
, in nixpkgs unstable

💖 SPDMEM(4) — the Kernel Interfaces Manual, but make it a group chat 💖

okay bestie, so this is page SPDMEM(4) from the Kernel Interfaces Manual, and it's lowkey one of those unassuming pages that's actually doing the most behind the scenes. sit down, hydrate, let's get into it 🫶

✨ NAME ✨

spdmem — Generic Memory Module Serial Presence Detect. that's the whole name, she's not wordy, she's iconic 💅

✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

spdmem* at iic? addr 0x50
spdmem* at iic? addr 0x51
spdmem* at iic? addr 0x52
spdmem* at iic? addr 0x53
spdmem* at iic? addr 0x54
spdmem* at iic? addr 0x55
spdmem* at iic? addr 0x56
spdmem* at iic? addr 0x57

not her listing eight separate addr lines and refusing to summarize 😭 that's just how she rolls. one for every seat at the table, fr fr.

✨ DESCRIPTION ✨

so the spdmem driver is the girl who gives support for generic memory module Serial Presence Detect. generic! she's not picky, she's a vibe 🦋

during kernel boot she pops up and shows you the module type, and where possible, the size and rated speed of the memory module. like a little intro card for your RAM ✨

and if you boot the kernel in verbose mode, she goes full main character and also prints extra info such as bank configuration and width. the way that more info just appears when you ask nicely 👑

the Serial Presence Detect data for each memory module is also made accessible to user mode via sysctl(8). an entry for each spdmem device is created under the hw top-level MIB. so you can peek at it yourself, no gatekeeping 💜

some SPD ROMs also come with a temperature sensor 🍓 — that one is supported by sdtemp(4), she's got a whole other friend for it.

✨ SEE ALSO ✨

your little reading list, bestie 🎀

✨ HISTORY ✨

the spdmem driver first appeared in NetBSD 5.0. a legend was born 💅

✨ AUTHORS ✨

the spdmem driver was written by Nicolas Joly <njoly@pasteur.fr> with additional work by Paul Goyette <paul@whooppee.com>. two icons, one driver 🙌

okay that's the whole page, no cap — every flag, every path, every addr, every credit is in here 💖

and that's a wrap 🎬 this version's from the Debian set, dated July 27, 2016 — big day for SPDMEM(4) girlies everywhere ✨💅🦋

📦 where this page comes from