Reference number: CH001106

How do I know what kernel / distro of Linux I have?

Question:

How do I know what kernel / distro of Linux I have?

Answer:

Using the uname command, you can quickly and easily identify what kernel version you're using. as shown below.

uname -arv
SunOS hope 5.7 Generic_106541-08 sun4m sparc SUNW,SPARCstation-10

uname -r
2.6.24-19-generic

Using the cat command to examine the contents of specific files can also help identify more information about the system. Below is a list of these files. Unfortunately, not all distros of Linux are the same. Therefore, this list displays the Linux type and then the cat file to edit.

CentOS Linux distro

cat /proc/version

Debian Linux distro

cat /etc/debian_version

Redhat Linux distro

cat /etc/redhat-release

Ubuntu Linux distro

cat /etc/issue

or

cat /etc/lsb-release

Additional information:

• See our uname command page for additional information and related commands.
• Additional information and related links can also be found on our variant dictionary definition.