How to find version of linux

safun75 · 04-07-2005, 02:29 PM

Hi,

can someone please tell me what is the command to find what version of linux is installed? Also how to find the flavour of unix installed.

Would appreaciate the response.

thanks,
SA

tommeke · 04-07-2005, 02:31 PM

uname -a

Komakino · 04-07-2005, 04:12 PM

linux IS a flavour of unix, as are solaris, BSD....etc.
If by "version of linux" you mean the version of the compiled kernel currently running then the command by the above poster will do, or:
uname -r

Genesee · 04-07-2005, 04:37 PM

safun75 -

note that "Linux" can refer specifically to the kernel, although it is also generally used for a distribution on the whole.

each distribution is a collection of applications, assigned an overall version number arbitrarily by each distribution creator. you cannot conclude anything by comparing the version numbers between different distros. the method to find a version of a distro will depend on which you are using.

irfanasim · 04-30-2008, 12:04 AM

Guys,

Is there command in Linux to find out which linux distribution the machine is running? e.g. RedHat, Debian, SUSE, UBUNTU etc

Thanks in advance

IK

billymayday · 04-30-2008, 12:12 AM

Try /etc/release or similar

Note that you've dragged up a really old thread here. Start a new one next time

mike_mck2 · 04-30-2008, 12:52 AM

Why start a new one, when this one suffices?

billymayday · 04-30-2008, 01:34 AM

So the poor guys who atarted the thread 3 years ago don't get irrelevant reminders if nothing else.

wheezyanna · 05-22-2011, 01:45 PM

i suspect you want this
cat /etc/*-release

btmiller · 05-22-2011, 02:26 PM

You can also use:

lsb_release -a

on most systems.

TobiSGD · 05-22-2011, 02:34 PM

Seems to be common to resurrect this thread every 3 years. Why?

brownk4 · 05-22-2011, 03:05 PM

hai it is good to meet you all after a long time

dshu · 06-17-2011, 01:43 AM

This is a good question, despite what you all might think. I have a readyNas system that is running some flavor of linux but both methods in this thread don't work.

There is nothing in /etc/*-release*

And lsb_release is a command that is not found anywhere.

uname is not what I'm looking for, I know the hostname and kernal number, I'm looking for the linux flavor (distro?).

Thanks.

kingbeowulf · 06-17-2011, 02:25 AM

Look in /etc as often a file is placed there to indicate the distro version. For exanple:

Code:

$ cat /etc/slackware-version
Slackware 13.37.0

It could be any sort of weird file name. Also, sometimes the kernel has it, try 'uname -a'

evo2 · 06-17-2011, 03:06 AM

@dshu if it is some off the shelf nas box, then you will have some sort of embedded linux probably with busybox and a specialised libc, possibly put together in house by the hardware manufacture.

Have a poke around the file system (/etc in particular). Also, you should be able to find out exactly what you are running by going to the web site of the manufacturer: the source code should be available there.

Evo2.