2.7. RHEA-2010:0268: python-dmidecode

A new package, python-dmidecode, is now available for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.

The python-dmidecode module is a Python extension that uses the code-base of the dmidecode utility, and presents the DMI data as Python dictionaries or XML utilizing libxml2.

The Desktop Management Interface (DMI) provides the infrastructure for x86-based systems to pass component-level information up to other applications. The dmidecode utility reads and reports the information as presented in the DMI tables by a system's BIOS. By providing this data as Python dictionaries or XML, the new python-dmi-decode module makes this information available to Python-based applications or applications that can parse XML. (BZ#546220)

Note: PowerPC and IBM System z systems do not use the DMI standard and, consequently, do not have DMI tables to decode. If the python-dmidecode module is installed on these systems, however, the module can read supplied DMI data from x86-based systems.

x86-based systems users wanting to access DMI table data with Python- or XML-based tools should install this new package which provides this capability.