Coreinfo - CMD

Overview

The Coreinfo command is a tool developed by Sysinternals (now part of Microsoft) that displays mapping between logical processors and physical processors, NUMA node, and socket on x86 and x64 systems. It helps in identifying the processor’s features such as cache size, core topology, and supported instruction sets. This command is especially useful for system administrators and performance tuning experts to optimize and debug hardware-related issues in Windows environments.

Syntax

Coreinfo [-c][-f][-g][-l][-n][-s][-m][-v]

Each option can be used individually or in combination to tailor the output based on specific requirements.

Options/Flags

  • -c: Displays core topology, mapping logical processors to physical cores.
  • -f: Shows the processor features, including support for MMX, SSE, and VT-x/AMD-V hardware virtualization.
  • -g: Displays NUMA node information.
  • -l: Shows cache hierarchy, which can be crucial for applications sensitive to cache size and structure.
  • -n: Outputs information for NUMA nodes.
  • -s: Displays socket information, identifying how logical processors are distributed across processor sockets.
  • -m: Shows details on the processor socket and physical core relationship.
  • -v: Verbose mode; displays more detailed information.

The default behavior (when no option is specified) is to print all available information.

Examples

  1. Basic Usage:
    To display all information that Coreinfo can provide:

    Coreinfo

  2. View Processor Features Only:
    If you want to check if your processor supports hardware-assisted virtualization:

    Coreinfo -f

  3. View NUMA Node Information:
    To understand how memory is distributed across different NUMA nodes:

    Coreinfo -n

  4. Combining Flags:
    To get detailed cache and topology information:

    Coreinfo -l -c

Common Issues

  • Missing Administrator Rights: Coreinfo must be run with administrator privileges to obtain all available data. Without this, some information may not be displayed, or the command may fail to run.
  • Outdated Versions: As processor technologies evolve, using the latest version of Coreinfo ensures compatibility and access to the latest features.

Integration

Coreinfo can be integrated with shell scripts to automate system analysis tasks:

for /f "tokens=*" %%a in ('Coreinfo -f') do (
    if "%%a"== "VT-x supported" (
        echo This system supports hardware virtualization.
    )
)

This script checks if the system’s CPU supports VT-x hardware virtualization and outputs a relevant message.

  • msinfo32: Provides comprehensive system information including hardware resources, components, and the software environment.
  • dxdiag: Tool for diagnosing DirectX-related hardware and software problems.

For detailed and updated information, refer to the Sysinternals Coreinfo page.