Linux SSH Version Info – How to Tell What Version of Linux I’m Using

infolinuxsshsystem-informationversion

Often times I will ssh into a new client's box to make changes to their website configuration without knowing much about the server configuration. I have seen a few ways to get information about the system you're using, but are there some standard commands to tell me what version of Unix/Linux I'm on and basic system information (like if it is a 64-bit system or not), and that sort of thing?

Basically, if you just logged into a box and didn't know anything about it, what things would you check out and what commands would you use to do it?

Best Answer

If I need to know what it is say Linux/Unix , 32/64 bit

uname -a

This would give me almost all information that I need,

If I further need to know what release it is say (Centos 5.4, or 5.5 or 5.6) on a Linux box I would further check the file /etc/issue to see its release info ( or for Debian / Ubuntu /etc/lsb-release )

Alternative way is to use the lsb_release utility:

lsb_release -a

Or do a rpm -qa | grep centos-release or redhat-release for RHEL derived systems

`sw_vers`

My suggestion is to use sw_vers. Example output as of 10.6.4:

> sw_vers 
ProductName:    Mac OS X
ProductVersion: 10.6.4
BuildVersion:   10F569

The answer that suggested system_profiler | grep 'System Version' is what I have tried to use in the past, but it has 2 problems.

It is slow since it generates a full system_profiler dump of the machine, gathering all hardware and software inventory information.
The output of system_profiler has changed over time. e.g. output of grep for 'Serial Number' on 10.6.4 is "Serial Number (system): ZNNNNNZNZZZ", whereas on 10.4.11 it was "Serial Number: ZNNNNZNZZZZ" - importance being the parse-ability of the output and the add " (system)" piece can be problematic unless you are expecting the change.

Unix System Information – How to Find Machine Details

In addition to uname -a, which gives you the kernel version, you can try:

lsb_release -idrc  # distro, version, codename, long release name

Most Desktop Environments like GNOME or KDE have an "about" or "info" menu option that will tell you what you use currently, so no commandline needed there really.

Best Answer

Related Solutions

How to Check OS X Version from Command Line

sw_vers

Unix System Information – How to Find Machine Details

Related Question

`sw_vers`