Linux Command: Show Linux Version
Source: nixCraft
What command I need to type to display Linux kernel version and other information such as Linux distribution name? How do I check Linux kernel version number?
You need to use the following two commands:
[a] uname - Print kernel and system information. [b] lsb_release - Print distribution-specific information. [c] /proc/version file - Print running kernel information.
How to check linux kernel version number?
Open a shell prompt (or a terminal) and type the following command to see your current Linux kernel version:
$ uname -r
Sample outputs:
2.6.32-23-generic-pae
Or type the following command:
$ uname -mrs
Sample outputs:
Linux 2.6.32-23-generic-pae i686
To print all information, enter:
$ uname -a
Sample outputs:
Linux vivek-laptop 2.6.32-23-generic-pae #37-Ubuntu SMP Fri Jun 11 09:26:55 UTC 2010 i686 GNU/Linux
Where,
- 2.6.32-23 – Linux kernel version number
- pae – pae kernel type indicate that I’m accssing more than 4GB ram using 32 bit kernel.
- SMP – Kernel that supports multi core and multiple cpus.
/proc/version file
Type the following command to see Linux version info:
$ cat /proc/version
Sample outputs:
Linux version 3.2.0-0.bpo.1-amd64 (Debian 3.2.4-1~bpo60+1) (ben@decadent.org.uk) (gcc version 4.4.5 (Debian 4.4.5-8) ) #1 SMP Sat Feb 11 08:41:32 UTC 2012
The above output identifies the kernel version that is currently running. It includes the contents of /proc/sys/kernel/ostype
, /proc/sys/kernel/osrelease
, and /proc/sys/kernel/version
files. For example:
$ cat /proc/sys/kernel/{ostype,osrelease,version}
Sample outputs:
Linux 3.2.0-0.bpo.1-amd64 #1 SMP Sat Feb 11 08:41:32 UTC 2012
Find Distribution Version
Type the following command:
$ cat /etc/*release
OR
$ lsb_release -a
Sample outputs:
No LSB modules are available. Distributor ID: Ubuntu Description: Ubuntu 10.04 LTS Release: 10.04 Codename: lucid
Here is another output from my Debian based server:
lsb_release -a No LSB modules are available. Distributor ID: Debian Description: Debian GNU/Linux 6.0.6 (squeeze) Release: 6.0.6 Codename: squeeze