How can I identify the variant of Unix/Linux from a shell? [duplicate]

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How can I get distribution name and version number in a simple shell script?

Given a shell, how can I identify the variant of Unix/Linux that is running on a remote server?

fromnaboo · Accepted Answer · 2012-10-03 11:31:53Z

6

you can also do cat /etc/*-release to see info about the distribution version and name.

$ cat /etc/*-release
DISTRIB_ID=LinuxMint
DISTRIB_RELEASE=12
DISTRIB_CODENAME=lisa
DISTRIB_DESCRIPTION="Linux Mint 12 Lisa"

answered Oct 3, 2012 at 11:31

fromnaboo

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I think cat /etc/*-release* is better. Some distros (Crunchbang is an example) has longer file names.
– some user
Commented Oct 3, 2012 at 16:19

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Mountainerd · Accepted Answer · 2012-10-03 11:21:59Z

3

Have you tried either of the following:

uname -a

or

cat /proc/version

answered Oct 3, 2012 at 11:21

Mountainerd

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Gilles Quénot · Accepted Answer · 2012-10-03 12:57:36Z

2

You can try :

cat /etc/issue

Maybe not all distro have this file.

answered Oct 3, 2012 at 12:57

Gilles Quénot

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1

Or it may be confusing on others. Ubuntu's will say something like "wheezy/sid" since they do not change this file when they sync Debian unstable.
– jordanm
Commented Oct 3, 2012 at 14:32

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3 Answers 3