This package contains a collection of user space tools for general SMBus
access and hardware monitoring. SMBus, also known as System Management Bus,
is a protocol for communicating through a I2C ('I squared C') bus. Many modern
mainboards have a System Management Bus. There are a lot of devices which can
be connected to a SMBus; the most notable are modern memory chips with EEPROM
memories and chips for hardware monitoring.

Most modern mainboards incorporate some form of hardware monitoring chips.
These chips read things like chip temperatures, fan rotation speeds and
voltage levels. There are quite a few different chips which can be used
by mainboard builders for approximately the same results.