Hardware Snapshot

Every benchmark execution includes a complete Hardware Snapshot describing the system on which the benchmark was executed.

Unlike many benchmark tools that record only the processor model, the Scalionix System Benchmark captures detailed information about the processor, memory subsystem, storage devices, operating system, and benchmark storage location.

The Hardware Snapshot provides the contextual information necessary to correctly interpret benchmark results and compare different hardware configurations.

It also serves as the foundation for future hardware classification and public benchmark ranking.

Purpose

The Hardware Snapshot has several primary objectives.

• Preserve complete hardware information.
• Associate benchmark results with the executed machine.
• Enable hardware comparison.
• Support benchmark reproducibility.
• Generate deterministic hardware fingerprints.

Unlike benchmark scores, which may evolve with future scoring versions, the Hardware Snapshot describes the physical execution environment.

Snapshot Generation

Hardware detection is performed before benchmark execution begins.

The benchmark inspects the operating system together with available hardware interfaces to collect system information.

Operating-system-specific collectors are used whenever additional information can be obtained beyond standard runtime APIs.

The resulting snapshot is embedded into every generated report.

Snapshot Structure

The Hardware Snapshot consists of several logical sections.

General System Information

Processor

Memory

Storage Devices

Benchmark Storage

Operating System

Hardware Fingerprint

Identity Confidence

Each section contributes to a complete description of the benchmark platform.

General System Information

General system information identifies the machine on which the benchmark executed.

Typical fields include:

• Collection timestamp
• Hostname
• Operating system
• Processor architecture

This information uniquely identifies the execution environment independently from benchmark results.

Processor Information

The benchmark records processor characteristics required for benchmark interpretation.

Typical processor information includes:

• Processor model
• Vendor
• Physical core count
• Logical processor count
• Processor architecture

These values are used throughout benchmark execution when generating benchmark matrices and worker configurations.

Future benchmark releases may extend processor detection with additional information such as cache hierarchy and processor frequencies.

Memory Information

The benchmark records both runtime memory information and physical memory configuration whenever available.

Typical information includes:

Runtime Information

• Installed memory
• Available memory

Physical Module Information

• Module count
• Manufacturer
• Part number
• Memory technology
• Configured frequency
• Rated frequency
• Operating voltage
• ECC capability
• Form factor

Whenever supported by the operating system, memory information is collected directly from firmware tables instead of relying solely on runtime APIs.

This approach provides significantly more detailed hardware identification.

Storage Device Information

The benchmark identifies storage devices participating in benchmark execution.

Typical information includes:

• Storage model
• Firmware version
• Storage technology
• Operating system device identifier
• Filesystem mount point

Current storage technologies include:

• NVMe
• SATA SSD
• HDD

Additional storage technologies may be introduced in future benchmark releases.

Benchmark Storage

One storage device receives special treatment.

The benchmark explicitly identifies the storage location where benchmark datasets are created.

Typical information includes:

• Requested benchmark path
• Resolved filesystem path
• Storage device
• Mount point

This distinction is important because benchmark execution may occur on a storage device different from the operating system installation.

The recorded benchmark storage location therefore represents the device whose performance contributes to the Storage Score.

Operating System Information

The Hardware Snapshot records the execution platform.

Typical information includes:

• Operating system
• System architecture
• Kernel information

Future benchmark releases may record additional operating-system-specific information as required.

Hardware Fingerprint

The benchmark generates a deterministic hardware fingerprint.

The fingerprint is derived from stable hardware characteristics rather than temporary runtime values.

Its purpose is not to uniquely identify a person or a computer.

Instead, it provides a stable identifier representing the benchmark hardware configuration.

Typical applications include:

• Historical benchmark tracking
• Duplicate detection
• Workstation comparison
• Future online ranking services

Minor runtime changes do not affect the generated fingerprint.

Identity Confidence

Not every operating system exposes identical hardware information.

For this reason, the benchmark records an Identity Confidence value.

Identity Confidence represents how reliably the benchmark could identify the underlying hardware configuration.

Higher confidence indicates that more hardware characteristics were successfully detected.

Lower confidence may occur on operating systems with limited firmware access or restricted hardware permissions.

This value assists future ranking services when comparing hardware fingerprints.

Operating System Differences

Hardware detection varies between operating systems.

Linux

Provides the most detailed hardware information through firmware interfaces and device metadata.

macOS

Provides extensive processor and storage information using native system APIs.

Windows

Provides hardware information through Windows system interfaces while respecting operating system security restrictions.

Whenever platform-specific information is unavailable, benchmark execution continues using the best information available.

Benchmark Independence

Hardware detection operates independently from benchmark execution.

The Hardware Snapshot is generated regardless of which benchmark categories are executed.

Consequently, even partial benchmark executions preserve complete hardware information.

This design ensures consistent benchmark reports across different benchmark configurations.

Practical Applications

The Hardware Snapshot supports numerous practical use cases.

• Benchmark comparison
• Workstation inventory
• Regression analysis
• Benchmark reproducibility
• Hardware validation
• Online ranking
• Historical benchmark archives

Because hardware information is stored together with benchmark scores, benchmark reports remain meaningful even many years after benchmark execution.

Design Summary

The Hardware Snapshot represents a complete description of the benchmark execution platform.

By combining processor information, memory configuration, storage devices, operating system details, benchmark storage location, deterministic hardware fingerprints, and identity confidence into a single structured document, the benchmark preserves all information necessary for accurate interpretation, comparison, and long-term archival of benchmark results.

The Hardware Snapshot therefore serves as the foundation for reliable hardware identification throughout the Scalionix System Benchmark ecosystem.