dmi_check_system(9)

💖 dmi_check_system(9) 💖

okay so bestie, welcome to the Kernel API Manual — this is the page for dmi_check_system, and honestly? it's giving "quiet little function that knows everything about your machine." let's get into it 🫶

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✨ NAME ✨

dmi_check_system — check system DMI data 🌸

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✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

int dmi_check_system (const struct dmi_system_id *list );

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✨ ARGUMENTS ✨

• list — the array of dmi_system_id structures you're matching against 💅

okay so about that list, this is the important bit, don't skip it: all non-null elements of the list have to match their slot's (that's the field index's) data for it to count as a successful match. and "match" here means each list string must be a substring of the specified DMI slot's string data. so, yeah — substring, not equality. no cap. ⭐

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✨ DESCRIPTION ✨

so what actually happens? we walk the blacklist table, running the matching functions, until someone returns non zero — or until we hit the end. 💀

the callback function gets called for each successful match, and the function returns the number of matches. simple, iconic, does exactly what it says on the tin. 👑

⚠️ real talk though: dmi_setup must be called before this function is called. like, before. not "eh, it'll probably be fine." it will not be fine. 🙈

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✨ SEE ALSO ✨

kernel file: ./drivers/firmware/dmi_scan.c 🦋

• dmi_setup(9)
• dmi_matches(9)
• dmi_is_end_of_table(9)
• dmi_first_match(9)
• dmi_get_system_info(9)
• dmi_name_in_serial(9)
• dmi_name_in_vendors(9)
• dmi_find_device(9)
• dmi_get_date(9)
• dmi_get_bios_year(9)
• dmi_walk(9)
• dmi_match(9)
• dmi_memdev_type(9)
• dmi_memdev_handle(9)

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and that's the page, bestie!! 🎀 this one lives over in ./drivers/firmware, dated October 2026 — yes, 2026, main character energy for a docs timestamp ngl 😭💖 now go call dmi_setup first, i'm literally begging you. 💜