SMBIOS Memory

SMBIOS Memory

Plugin: go.d.plugin Module: smbios_memory

Overview

Monitor physical memory inventory and detect missing or smaller memory devices relative to an accepted baseline. The Memory Inventory live table exposes slot locations, capacities, device identifiers, rank counts, and rated and configured speeds for local inspection or retrieval through the Functions API.

Reads /sys/firmware/dmi/tables/smbios_entry_point and /sys/firmware/dmi/tables/DMI every 60 seconds by default, respecting NETDATA_HOST_PREFIX. No external command or EDAC support is required.

These are boot-time firmware tables: a recent read does not establish current usable memory, operating frequency, or hardware health. Only physical devices in system-memory arrays contribute to inventory totals.

Info

The collector keeps a private baseline: smbios-memory.json in the Agent’s library directory (/var/lib/netdata by default). The first complete inventory it saves becomes the configuration every later read is compared with, and a confirmed loss stays recorded there across restarts and reboots. To accept a smaller configuration as the new baseline, stop Netdata, move the file aside, and start Netdata again; Troubleshooting has the exact steps. This is the only file the collector writes; it never changes firmware, kernel settings, or device permissions.

This collector is only supported on the following platforms:

• Linux

This collector only supports collecting metrics from a single instance of this integration.

A standard installation needs nothing extra: the installer grants go.d.plugin the CAP_DAC_READ_SEARCH capability that reads the root-only firmware files, and the Agent’s library directory is already writable.

Default Behavior

Auto-Detection

The stock configuration starts the single smbios_memory job when the host exposes a readable SMBIOS table with a system-memory array. A host that already has a saved baseline also starts when the table cannot be read, so an unresolved loss stays visible.

The baseline is learned automatically: the first complete inventory in which every device has a known capacity and a slot locator unique within its bank is saved as the accepted configuration. It is the first configuration observed, not an independently verified healthy one. Added devices and capacity increases are accepted automatically only while every previously accepted slot still has at least its accepted capacity; a missing or smaller slot is reported as loss until it is restored or the baseline is reset (see Troubleshooting).

Limits

Comparison depends on firmware quality. Blank slot locators, a slot locator repeated within one bank, unknown device capacities or array use, malformed records, and inconsistent array counts leave the inventory readable but not comparable: the comparison status chart reports uncomparable and the smbios_memory_comparison_unavailable alert raises a warning.

A slot is identified by its bank and slot locators, which must stay stable across boots; a firmware update that renames either is not matched automatically and shows every old slot as missing and every new slot as not in the baseline. Replacing a device with one of equal or larger capacity in the same slot is not loss.

Inventory does not attribute EDAC errors to physical devices: the evidence needed to join platform-specific EDAC ranks to SMBIOS slots is not available.

Performance Impact

Reads two local firmware files per collection. Baseline and loss-state changes write one private state file; unchanged observations do not rewrite it.

Setup

The smbios_memory collector runs as a single instance: it does not take user-defined jobs, and the Netdata web interface offers no + to add one. Adjust its settings in go.d/smbios_memory.conf.

Prerequisites

Expose the host firmware tables to a containerized Agent

Applies only to Agents running in a container. The collector reads the host’s firmware through NETDATA_HOST_PREFIX, so the host’s /sys must be mounted there read-only. The documented docker run and Compose examples already include this mount:

-v /sys:/host/sys:ro

Verify: the Memory Inventory Live Data table lists the host’s memory slots and the comparison status chart reports comparable after the first collection.

Configuration

Options

Options apply to the host’s single smbios_memory job. This collector has no remote target and cannot be attached to a virtual node.

via File

The configuration file name for this integration is go.d/smbios_memory.conf.

The file format is YAML. A single-instance collector takes exactly one job, whose name is fixed:

jobs:
  - name: smbios_memory

Any other job name is rejected. Set the collector’s own options alongside name. You can edit the configuration file using the edit-config script from the Netdata config directory.

cd /etc/netdata 2>/dev/null || cd /opt/netdata/etc/netdata
sudo ./edit-config go.d/smbios_memory.conf

Examples

Basic

The stock configuration. The single job monitors the local host’s memory inventory with the default interval.

jobs:
  - name: smbios_memory

Read the firmware table less often

The table changes only at boot, so a longer interval loses nothing except how quickly a change after a reboot is reported.

jobs:
  - name: smbios_memory
    update_every: 300

Live Data

Inspect the latest completed inventory read through Live Data or the Functions API. Opening the table performs no firmware read and does not change the baseline.

Memory Inventory

Inspect populated and empty physical system-memory slots alongside their accepted capacities and comparison status.

Prerequisites

No additional configuration is required.

Parameters

This function has no parameters.

Returns

One row per current physical system-memory device, plus accepted populated slots absent from the current table. Baseline-only rows identify their metadata as historical; unknown readings are null.

Troubleshooting

Diagnostics

Debug Mode

Important: Debug mode is not supported for data collection jobs created via the UI using the Dyncfg feature.

To troubleshoot issues with the smbios_memory collector, run the go.d.plugin with the debug option enabled. The output should give you clues as to why the collector isn’t working.

• Navigate to the plugins.d directory, usually at /usr/libexec/netdata/plugins.d/. If that’s not the case on your system, open netdata.conf and look for the plugins setting under [directories].

  cd /usr/libexec/netdata/plugins.d/
  

• Switch to the netdata user.

  sudo -u netdata -s
  

• Run the go.d.plugin to debug the collector:

  ./go.d.plugin -d -m smbios_memory
  

  To debug a specific job:

  ./go.d.plugin -d -m smbios_memory -j jobName
  

Getting Logs

If you’re encountering problems with the smbios_memory collector, follow these steps to retrieve logs and identify potential issues:

• Run the command specific to your system (systemd, non-systemd, or Docker container).
• Examine the output for any warnings or error messages that might indicate issues. These messages should provide clues about the root cause of the problem.

System with systemd

Use the following command to view logs generated since the last Netdata service restart:

journalctl _SYSTEMD_INVOCATION_ID="$(systemctl show --value --property=InvocationID netdata)" --namespace=netdata --grep smbios_memory

System without systemd

Locate the collector log file, typically at /var/log/netdata/collector.log, and use grep to filter for collector’s name:

grep smbios_memory /var/log/netdata/collector.log

Note: This method shows logs from all restarts. Focus on the latest entries for troubleshooting current issues.

Docker Container

If your Netdata runs in a Docker container named “netdata” (replace if different), use this command:

docker logs netdata 2>&1 | grep smbios_memory

Known Errors

Intentionally accepting a smaller memory configuration

Cause

A planned removal or downsizing is still a loss relative to the previously accepted baseline, and acknowledging or silencing the alert does not replace the baseline.

Fix

Reset the baseline while the collector is stopped. Stop Netdata, move the state file aside as a backup, then start Netdata; the next valid, comparable inventory becomes the new baseline:

sudo systemctl stop netdata
sudo mv -i /var/lib/netdata/smbios-memory.json /var/lib/netdata/smbios-memory.json.backup
sudo systemctl start netdata

Use the Agent’s configured library directory if it differs (static installations commonly use /opt/netdata/var/lib/netdata). Alternatively, disable the collector through Dynamic Configuration, wait for it to stop, move the file, then re-enable it.

Caution

Only the running Agent’s collector writes this file. A go.d.plugin debug run from a terminal reads and compares against it but never saves, so debugging is safe; do not run a second Agent against the same library directory.

Verify that the comparison status returns to comparable. If reading or saving fails, no replacement baseline is accepted and the status stays unbaselined or state_error. Keep the backup if the old evidence is needed.

read SMBIOS entry point: open path: permission denied

Cause

go.d.plugin lost read access to the root-only firmware files, usually because its CAP_DAC_READ_SEARCH file capability was dropped by a hardened install or is not available inside the container.

Fix

Re-run the Netdata installer, which restores the plugin’s file capabilities, or grant CAP_DAC_READ_SEARCH to the container. Existing charts and any saved baseline are kept while the source is unreadable.

read SMBIOS entry point: open path: no such file or directory

When

The host or container does not expose /sys/firmware/dmi/tables.

Cause

The kernel exposes no SMBIOS tables on this platform, or the container was started without the host’s /sys mounted under NETDATA_HOST_PREFIX.

Fix

In a container, add the -v /sys:/host/sys:ro mount from the prerequisites. A host without SMBIOS tables cannot use this collector; disable it to silence the message.

no system memory array

Cause

The firmware table contains no physical memory array marked as system memory, which happens on some virtual machines and boards.

Fix

Nothing to configure. This host cannot be inventoried through SMBIOS; disable the collector.

Unknown device capacity

Cause

Firmware reports at least one memory device with an unknown size, so totals and a per-slot baseline cannot be trusted.

Fix

The inventory table remains available; comparison stays uncomparable until firmware reports every capacity. Check the vendor’s firmware updates.

Physical memory array use is unknown or unsupported

Cause

Firmware does not state whether a memory array holds system memory, so the collector cannot tell which devices are host RAM.

Fix

The inventory table remains available with totals withheld; comparison stays uncomparable. Check the vendor’s firmware updates.

Slot locators are missing or duplicated within a bank

Cause

Firmware leaves a memory device without a slot locator, or gives two devices in the same bank the same one, so devices cannot be matched across observations. The Memory Inventory Function shows each device’s Slot and Bank.

Fix

The inventory table remains available; comparison stays uncomparable for this firmware. Check the vendor’s firmware updates.

physical array device count disagrees with table

Cause

The firmware table is inconsistent; it declares more or fewer memory devices than it lists.

Fix

Check the table with the hardware vendor’s tools and firmware updates. A missing record in an inconsistent table is not proof of a lost memory device, so nothing is reported as loss.

memory baseline has unsupported version, owner or content

Cause

The state file belongs to another Agent, is damaged, or uses an unsupported format, such as one written by a newer Netdata version before a downgrade.

Fix

After a downgrade, upgrade Netdata again; the older collector leaves the file unchanged. Otherwise restore the matching state file from a backup, or start a new baseline with the stopped-collector reset above; do not edit the file in place. Restart the collector afterwards, because a failed state load is reported until restart.

memory baseline contains an invalid slot

Cause

The state file was edited or truncated and no longer describes valid accepted slots.

Fix

Restore the state file from a backup, or start a new baseline with the stopped-collector reset above, then restart the collector.

memory baseline contains invalid loss evidence

Cause

The state file was edited or truncated and its recorded loss no longer matches its accepted slots.

Fix

Restore the state file from a backup, or start a new baseline with the stopped-collector reset above, then restart the collector.

create baseline temporary file: error

Cause

The Agent’s library directory is missing, not writable, or on a full filesystem, so a new baseline or a newly observed loss cannot be saved.

Fix

Restore the directory, its permissions and free space; saving is retried on every collection. A loss observed while saving fails is kept in memory but does not survive a restart until it has been saved.

publish baseline: error

Cause

The temporary file was written but could not replace smbios-memory.json, usually because the directory permissions changed.

Fix

Restore write permission on the Agent’s library directory; saving is retried on every collection.

Agent registry identity is unavailable; baseline persistence disabled

Cause

The collector cannot read the Agent’s registry identity, which every saved baseline is bound to.

Fix

Restore the Agent’s registry directory and its permissions, then restart the collector. Inventory is still read, but no baseline is accepted without an Agent identity.