I use the following command to see the name, release and version of a kernel.
-bash-4.1$ uname -s
Linux
-bash-4.1$ uname -r
2.6.32-279.el6.x86_64
-bash-4.1$ uname -v
#1 SMP Wed Jun 13 18:24:36 EDT 2012
What is the difference and relation between kernel's release and version? Thanks!
Similar question for a Linux distribution (e.g. Ubuntu, Mint, …)? I.e. what is the difference and relation between a Linux distribution's release and version?
Best Answer
uname -r
The first is the version string that was used when the kernel was compiled. That's the role of
-r
.This string can get a bit confusing but the base portion (everything before the first dash) is part of the actual Linux kernel version you're using. The rest is related to packaging options that were selected.
What do I mean by this?
uname -v
For
-v
it's showing you when the kernel was compiled/built.On my Fedora 19 system you can convince yourself that this is in fact true by looking at when the kernel package was actually build via RPM.
The build dates differ slightly since the
uname -v
is what was "burned" into the kernel when it was compiled. The build date in the RPM is from when the RPM had the kernel's compile time burned into it, during package construction.