HowTo: Find Out My Linux Distribution Name and Version

/etc/issue works for Debian too! I use something like this:

if [ "`cat /etc/issue | grep Debian | wc -l`" == "1" ]; then
    echo "is debian"
else
   cat /etc/issue # write out distro name

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smarcell – you are so clever. I am in awe.

but when I type that into the little white box thing, it just says “cat /etc/lsb-release.d: Is a directory”

and I still have no idea what my OS is ;-P

more seriously:

maxx – no you don’t want to change these files or try; what you want to do is something like (just an e.g.) in

/etc/rc.local
#!/bin/sh
#other stuff will be here probably, put your stuff at the end

echo “Hello, you’ve just successfully gained access to Maxx’s computer” > /etc/motd
cat /proc/version >> /etc/motd
echo `uname -a` >> /etc/motd

and so on. you are printing text and the output of programs to the file /etc/motd using shell syntax (the little backticks mean “interpret as a command to run” and echo means “print this” and > means “create a file and send this to it” and “>> means append this to the end of this file”

generally, motd will be printed on login (“message of the day”, quite old school, some systems might not have it I guess. My Scientific Linux 6.1 does. I think ubuntu does. maybe not.)

if not, you can make it yourself and have it in everyone’s .bashrc by editing /etc/skel. For that matter you can put anything you want in .bashrc or .profile and it will run whevever a shell is opened (a bash shell obviously).

/proc isn’t usually somewhere you want to write, unless you know why you are doing it.

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hi

thank you for cat /etc/*-release
and lsb_release -a
very helpful

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Thanks :)

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Thank you all! Спасибо,
You’d think ‘displaying kernel version number’ would be a simple, everyday command to find… I’m sure most of you know, that is not true. I search and check a hundred pages before finding this article. I should have now to check nixCraft (cyberciti) first or at lest in the top 5 sites..

Learning.
Thanks again.
Landis.

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thanx a lot

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I wish to update my linux distro…can you post the commands please..

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