Confirming the Linux version on your server

Posted:  May 14th, 2016

 

Information about your server's operating system is available in the Welcome Letter you received when you purchased your server at KEKhost/KEKosting or if you have a Smart Server you can see this information in the Control Centre.

 

If you want to know about the Linux operating system installed on your server (distribution, version, architecture), follow the instructions below:

 

    1) Log in to your server as root via SSH.

 

    2) To find out which distribution and version of the operating system are installed on your server, use one of the following commands:

 

 

          cat /etc/issue              <------------ Works in all distributions

 

          cat /etc/redhat-release     <------------ Works in CentOS, ...

 

          cat /etc/debian_version     <------------ Works in Debian, Ubuntu

 

    3) To find out what architecture your operating system uses, use the command:

 

     If the result of the command "uname -m" contains _64: Your operating system uses 64-bit architecture

 

          uname -m                      <---------- Works in all distributions

 

          getconf WORD_BIT              <---------- Works in Debian, Ubuntu

 

 

 Here are a few examples:

 

A - Distribution: CentOS, Version: 6.2, Architecture: 64-bit

 

          [root@test_sysadmin ~]# cat /etc/issue

          CentOS release 6.2 (Final)

          Kernel \r on an \m

 

          [root@test_sysadmin ~]# cat /etc/redhat-release

          CentOS release 6.2 (Final)

 

          [root@test_sysadmin ~]# uname -m

          x86_64

 

 

B - Distribution: Debian, Version: 6.0, Architecture: 32-bit

 

         root@vm-debian:~# cat /etc/issue

          Debian GNU/Linux 6.0 \n \l

 

          root@vm-debian:~# cat /etc/debian_version

          6.0.4

 

          root@vm-debian:~# getconf WORD_BIT

          32

 

          root@vm-debian:~# uname -m

          i686