blkinfo

Common errors

• FileNotFoundError: [Errno 2] No such file or directory: '/sys/class/block'

  cause The `blkinfo` library is Linux-specific and depends on system paths like `/sys/class/block` which do not exist on other operating systems (e.g., Windows, macOS).
  fix Run your Python script in a Linux environment. If already on Linux, ensure the `/sys` filesystem is mounted correctly and accessible.

• PermissionError: [Errno 13] Permission denied: '/dev/sda'

  cause The user executing the script lacks sufficient read permissions to access the specified block device or system files required by `blkinfo`.
  fix Execute your Python script with root privileges (e.g., `sudo python your_script.py`) or adjust the user's permissions to read from `/dev/` and `/sys/class/block`.

• ImportError: cannot import name 'BlkInfo' from 'blkinfo' (unknown location)

  cause The `blkinfo` package is either not installed in the current Python environment, or there's a conflict with another module named `blkinfo`.
  fix Install the package using `pip install blkinfo`. If it's already installed, ensure your current working directory doesn't contain a file named `blkinfo.py` that might be shadowing the installed package.

Warnings

• gotcha blkinfo is designed for Linux systems. Running it on other operating systems (e.g., Windows, macOS) will not yield correct results and may raise `FileNotFoundError` as it relies on Linux-specific paths like `/sys/class/block`.
  Fix: Ensure your application runs in a Linux environment where `/sys/class/block` and device files are available.
• gotcha Accessing detailed block device information often requires root privileges. Running your Python script without `sudo` may result in partial or empty data for certain fields, or `PermissionError` when trying to access specific device paths.
  Fix: Execute your Python script with root privileges (e.g., `sudo python your_script.py`) or ensure the user has appropriate read permissions on `/dev/` and `/sys/class/block`.
• gotcha The JSON output schema for `get_all_blkdev_info()` and `get_blkdev_info()` received minor internal adjustments in version 0.2.0. While not a major API break, users who strictly parse the dictionary keys or rely on their exact ordering might need to adjust their code.
  Fix: Always validate the structure of the returned dictionary against the current version's expected output or handle potentially missing/reordered keys gracefully.

Install

• pip install blkinfo Install blkinfo

Imports

• BlkInfo

  from blkinfo import BlkInfo

Quickstart

This quickstart demonstrates how to instantiate `BlkInfo` and use its primary methods `get_all_blkdev_info()` to retrieve information for all block devices and `get_blkdev_info()` for a specific device. It includes a check for `/dev/sda` and basic error handling, as permissions are often required.

from blkinfo import BlkInfo

# Instantiate BlkInfo
blk_info = BlkInfo()

# Get information about all available block devices
all_block_devices_info = blk_info.get_all_blkdev_info()
print("\n--- All Block Devices ---")
for dev in all_block_devices_info:
    print(f"  Device: {dev['NAME']}, Size: {dev['SIZE']}, Type: {dev['TYPE']}")

# To get information about a specified block device (e.g., '/dev/sda')
# Note: Device paths vary by system. Use an existing path on your system.
# Permissions might be required (e.g., sudo) for full details.
import os
if os.path.exists('/dev/sda'):
    try:
        specified_block_device_info = blk_info.get_blkdev_info("/dev/sda")
        print("\n--- Specific Block Device (/dev/sda) ---")
        for key, value in specified_block_device_info.items():
            print(f"  {key}: {value}")
    except Exception as e:
        print(f"Could not get info for /dev/sda: {e}. (Often due to permissions or device not existing)")
else:
    print("\n--- Specific Block Device (/dev/sda) ---")
    print("  /dev/sda not found. Skipping specific device example.")
    print("  Try with an existing path like '/dev/nvme0n1' or '/dev/vda' on your system.")