ndctl

utility for managing Non-Volatile DIMMs on Linux

TLDR

Create an fsdax mode namespace

$ ndctl create-namespace --mode=fsdax

Change mode of a namespace to raw

$ ndctl create-namespace --reconfigure=[namespaceX.Y] --mode=raw

Check and repair a sector mode namespace

$ ndctl check-namespace --repair [namespaceX.Y]

List all namespaces, regions, and buses

$ ndctl list --namespaces --regions --buses --idle

List namespace with verbose information

$ ndctl list -vvv --namespace=[namespaceX.Y]

Monitor SMART health events

$ ndctl monitor --bus=ACPI.NFIT

Destroy or reset a namespace

$ ndctl destroy-namespace --force [namespaceX.Y]

SYNOPSIS

ndctl command [options] [namespace]

ndctl is a utility for managing Non-Volatile DIMMs (NVDIMMs) on Linux. NVDIMMs are persistent memory modules that retain data without power, providing storage-class memory capabilities.The tool manages namespaces (logical storage units), regions (physical NVDIMM groupings), and monitors NVDIMM health. Different namespace modes support various use cases: fsdax for filesystem DAX, devdax for device DAX, sector for legacy block access.

PARAMETERS

--mode _mode_

Namespace mode: fsdax, devdax, sector, raw

--reconfigure _namespace_

Reconfigure existing namespace

--repair

Repair errors found during check

--force, -f

Force operation without confirmation

--bus _bus_

Operate on specific bus

--region _region_

Operate on specific region

--idle

Include disabled/idle objects in listing

-v, -vv, -vvv

Increase verbosity level

COMMANDS

create-namespace

Create a new namespace with specified mode

destroy-namespace

Remove or reset namespace to initial state

check-namespace

Check namespace for consistency

list

List namespaces, regions, buses, and dimms

monitor

Watch for SMART health events

enable-namespace

Enable a disabled namespace

disable-namespace

Disable an active namespace

enable-region

Enable a region

disable-region

Disable a region

INSTALL

sudo apt install ndctl

sudo dnf install ndctl

sudo pacman -S ndctl

sudo apk add ndctl

sudo zypper install ndctl

CAVEATS

Operations on active namespaces may require unmounting filesystems first. Destroying namespaces is irreversible. NVDIMM support requires appropriate hardware and kernel configuration. Health monitoring requires ACPI NFIT support.

HISTORY

ndctl was developed by Intel and the Linux community as part of the pmem (persistent memory) project. It provides userspace tools for managing NVDIMMs as standardized by ACPI NFIT and the NVDIMM driver subsystem.