npu-smi Command Reference

Quick reference for Huawei Ascend NPU device management commands.

Validated on real host: Ascend 910B3 server (npu-smi software version 25.5.1) on 2026-03-27. Command availability and output fields can differ by platform / firmware.

Quick Start

npu-smi info -l                           # List all devices
npu-smi info -t health -i 0               # Check device health
npu-smi info -t temp -i 0 -c 0            # Check temperature
npu-smi info -t power -i 0 -c 0           # Check power
npu-smi info -t memory -i 0 -c 0          # Check memory

Device Queries

Basic Information

npu-smi info -l                           # List devices
npu-smi info -t health -i <id>            # Health status (OK/Warning/Error)
npu-smi info -t board -i <id>             # Board details (firmware, software version)
npu-smi info -m                           # List card/chip mapping and chip names

Real-time Metrics

npu-smi info -t temp -i <id> -c <chip>    # Temperature (NPU, AI Core)
npu-smi info -t power -i <id> -c <chip>   # Power usage and limit
npu-smi info -t memory -i <id> -c <chip>  # Memory usage, total, rate

Advanced Queries

npu-smi info -t ecc -i <id> -c <chip>     # ECC errors and mode
npu-smi info -t usages -i <id> -c <chip>  # Utilization (AI Core, memory, bandwidth)
npu-smi info -t proc-mem -i <id> -c <chip>   # Per-process memory usage
npu-smi info -t pcie-err -i <id> -c <chip>   # PCIe error counters
npu-smi info -t topo -i <id> -c <chip>       # Inter-NPU topology / affinity
npu-smi info -t p2p-enable -i <id> -c <chip> # P2P capability (if supported)
npu-smi info -t product -i <id> -c <chip> # Product name and serial

Note: npu-smi info -t npu was not accepted on the validated host; use npu-smi info -m for chip mapping and health/temp/power/usages/memory for per-chip runtime data.

See: references/device-queries.md for output formats, examples, monitoring scripts, and platform identification (A2 vs A3).

Configuration

Temperature and Power Thresholds

npu-smi set -h                                             # Show supported configurable types on this host
npu-smi set -t pwm-mode -d <0|1>                           # Fan control mode
npu-smi set -t pwm-duty-ratio -d <0-100>                   # Fan duty ratio

Mode Configuration

npu-smi set -t ecc-enable -i <id> -c <chip> -d <0|1>      # ECC enable switch
npu-smi set -t p2p-mem-cfg -i <id> -c <chip> -d <0|1>     # P2P memory configuration
npu-smi set -t vnpu-mode -d <0|1>                          # vNPU mode
npu-smi set -t cpu-freq-up -i <id> -d <0|1>               # CPU frequency profile

Fan Control

npu-smi set -t pwm-mode -d <0|1>                          # 0=Manual, 1=Automatic
npu-smi set -t pwm-duty-ratio -d <0-100>                  # Fan speed (percent)

System Settings

npu-smi set -t mac-addr -i <id> -c <chip> -d <mac_id> -s "XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX"
npu-smi set -t boot-select -i <id> -c <chip> -d <3|4>     # 3=M.2 SSD, 4=eMMC
npu-smi set -t cpu-freq-up -i <id> -d <0|1>               # 0=1.9GHz/800MHz, 1=1.0GHz/800MHz
npu-smi set -t sys-log-enable -d <0|1>                    # System logging

Clear Commands

npu-smi clear -t ecc-info -i <id> -c <chip>               # Clear ECC errors
npu-smi clear -t tls-cert-period -i <id> -c <chip>        # Restore cert threshold

See: references/configuration.md for parameter tables and examples.

Firmware Management

Upgrade Workflow

Query → Upgrade → Check Status → Activate → Restart

npu-smi upgrade -b <item> -i <id>                         # Query current version
npu-smi upgrade -t <item> -i <id> -f <file.hpm>           # Upload firmware
npu-smi upgrade -q <item> -i <id>                         # Check upgrade status
npu-smi upgrade -a <item> -i <id>                         # Activate firmware

Components and Restart Requirements

Component	Item Name	Restart Required
MCU	mcu	Yes (restart)
Bootloader	bootloader	Yes (restart)
VRD	vrd	Yes (power cycle 30s)

See: references/firmware-upgrade.md for complete procedures.

Virtualization (vNPU)

Queries

npu-smi info -t vnpu-mode                                 # Query AVI mode (0=Container, 1=VM)
npu-smi info -t template-info                             # List all templates
npu-smi info -t template-info -i <id>                     # Templates for specific device
npu-smi info -t info-vnpu -i <id> -c <chip>               # View vNPU info

Management

npu-smi set -t vnpu-mode -d <0|1>                         # Set AVI mode
npu-smi set -t create-vnpu -i <id> -c <chip> -f <template> [-v <vnpu_id>] [-g <vgroup_id>]
npu-smi set -t destroy-vnpu -i <id> -c <chip> -v <vnpu_id>

vNPU ID Range: [phy_id*16+100, phy_id*16+115]

See: references/virtualization.md for vNPU creation and management.

Certificate Management

Queries

npu-smi info -t tls-csr-get -i <id> -c <chip>             # Generate CSR (PEM format)
npu-smi info -t tls-cert -i <id> -c <chip>                # View certificate details
npu-smi info -t tls-cert-period -i <id> -c <chip>         # Check expiration threshold
npu-smi info -t rootkey -i <id> -c <chip>                 # Rootkey status

Management

npu-smi set -t tls-cert -i <id> -c <chip> -f "<tls.pem> <ca.pem> <subca.pem>"
npu-smi set -t tls-cert-period -i <id> -c <chip> -s <days>  # Set threshold (7-180 days)
npu-smi clear -t tls-cert-period -i <id> -c <chip>        # Restore default (90 days)

See: references/certificate-management.md for certificate lifecycle management.

Parameters Reference

Parameter	Description	How to Get
id	Device ID (NPU ID)	npu-smi info -l
chip_id	Runtime chip ID	npu-smi info -m (usually 0 for Ascend chip, 1 for MCU on validated host)
vnpu_id	vNPU ID	Auto-assigned or specified in range
mac_id	MAC interface	0=eth0, 1=eth1, 2=eth2, 3=eth3

Supported Platforms

• Atlas 200I DK A2 Developer Kit
• Atlas 500 A2 Smart Station
• Atlas 200I A2 Acceleration Module (RC/EP scenarios)
• Atlas A2/A3 Training Series
• Atlas Training Series

Note: Chip name (e.g., 910B3) does not indicate server platform (A2 vs A3). Use dmidecode -t system | grep Product or npu-smi info -t product to identify the server model. See references/device-queries.md for details.

Important Notes

• Most configuration commands require root permissions
• Device IDs from npu-smi info -l
• Chip IDs from npu-smi info -m
• MCU/bootloader upgrades require restart after activation
• VRD upgrades require power cycle (30+ seconds off)
• MAC/boot changes require restart
• Command availability varies by hardware platform
• npu-smi info proc was not supported on the validated 910B3 host; npu-smi info -t proc-mem worked
• npu-smi info -t product may return This device does not support querying product. on some server SKUs

Scripts

• scripts/npu-health-check.sh - Comprehensive device health check

Official Documentation

• npu-smi Reference: https://www.hiascend.com/document/detail/zh/canncommercial/81RC1/envdeployment/instg/instg_0045.html