System profiler

<h2 id="historical-origins">Historical origins</h2>
<p>System profilers came into use after punch cards were no longer needed to run programs. Mainframe computers had evolved into have modular architectures at the same time punch cards were being abandoned as input devices. Punch card based mainframe computer systems typically had very rigidly fixed architectures with little variation in input or output devices.
</p><p>Since the 1990s hardware independent system profilers have emerged in some computing architectures, like <a href="/facts/Linux/9FvCKSTq">Linux</a>. Most <a href="/facts/Unix-like/YAKrAxzd">Unix-like</a> (aka <a href="/facts/POSIX/mQkSt234">POSIX</a> compliant) operating systems have system hardware independent profilers.
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<h2 id="usage-origin">Usage origin</h2>
<p>In <a href="/facts/Apple_Computer/oTJYta3k">Apple Computer</a>'s <a href="/facts/Classic_Mac_OS/I5fQq44K">classic Mac OS</a>, this was done by an application called <a href="/facts/System_Profiler/W60DkXhn">Apple System Profiler</a>.
</p><p><a href="/facts/MacOS/Y93vVpTm">macOS</a>' profiler is simply called System Information, and can be accessed via two methods. A <a href="/facts/Graphical_user_interface/wBlQFWDP">GUI</a> application, System Information.app, provides system information in simplified tables and trees, whereas detailed, highly-verbose information can be viewed upon executing the /usr/sbin/system_profiler <a href="/facts/Executable/VSst9eLA">binary</a> in a <a href="/facts/Terminal_emulator/yNfevBJd">terminal emulator</a>.
</p><p>In <a href="/facts/Microsoft_Windows/bwhAhuSL">Microsoft Windows</a>, similar information can be found by viewing the properties of "My Computer" or "This PC," pressing the <a href="/facts/Windows_key/I83vm9B4">Windows key</a> and <a href="/facts/Break_key/PwqUHSsm">Pause/Break key</a> simultaneously, or by executing the <a href="/facts/Msinfo32.exe/M6NVNa7S">msinfo32.exe</a> binary.
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<h2 id="list-of-system-profiler-software">List of system profiler software</h2>
<h3>Microsoft Windows</h3>
<ul><li><a href="/facts/System_Information_(Windows)/M6NVNa7S">System Information</a> – built-in component</li>
<li><a href="/facts/CPU-Z/vmpfFkJl">CPU-Z</a> – useful when <a href="/facts/Overclocking/wNpjgAFI">overclocking</a> processors</li>
<li>System Information for Windows (SIW) – <a href="/facts/Portable_application/BKGBS4rR">portable</a> freeware with software, hardware, and network information as well as miscellaneous tools</li>
<li><a href="/facts/Belarc/UC2UlJzP">Belarc</a> – freeware for personal use PC Auditing Software lists hardware, as well as software installed on the local machine and displays as a local webpage. Belarc also makes a security assessment for checking how secure a system is, and links missing updates directly to a Microsoft website for download.</li>
<li><a href="/facts/Systeminfo/KHJ5dycz">systeminfo</a> – native windows command line, returns OS version, <a href="/facts/Uptime/7PXQlwEE">uptime</a>, CPU, physical memory, network cards, etc.</li>
<li><a href="/facts/SekChek_Local/TX6h0pVf">SekChek Local</a> – an automated security audit tool which scans multiple Windows workstations and servers, from the network. It creates a security assessment report file which is presented as a Microsoft Access dataset.</li>
<li><a href="/facts/Speccy/aYMGm53b">Speccy</a> – detailed specifications of various PC subsystems</li></ul>
<h3>Linux (and some other Unix-like systems)</h3>
<ul><li><a href="/facts/Uname/fx63hv3C">uname -a</a> – prints basic information about the current machine and its OS</li>
<li><a href="/facts/Lspci/vns2vJS0">lshw</a> – prints a list of hardware devices and their properties</li>
<li><a href="/facts/Dpkg/p1CzTSF8">dpkg -l</a> – prints a list of all installed packages and their versions (for Linux distributions using Debian-style package management)</li>
<li><a href="/facts/RPM_Package_Manager/msKjb8FW">rpm -qa</a> – prints a list of all installed packages and their versions (for Linux distributions using Red-Hat-style package management)</li></ul>
<h2 id="see-also">See also</h2>
<ul><li><a href="/facts/Microsoft_Diagnostics/tP51V4Nu">Microsoft Diagnostics</a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/System_monitor/xnNgtTvF">System monitor</a></li></ul>

System profiler open-in-new

System profiler