To find out BIOS version under Linux operating systems use the dmidecode command which is a tool to analyze BIOS data. You must log in as root user to run dmidecode command.
Linux find out BIOS version command
Type the following command:
## run as root user ## dmidecode | less ## or use sudo ## sudo dmidecode | less |
Sample outputs:
dmidecode 2.10
SMBIOS 2.5 present.
45 structures occupying 1832 bytes.
Table at 0xCFF6A000.
Handle 0x0000, DMI type 0, 24 bytes
BIOS Information
Vendor: Phoenix Technologies LTD
Version: 2.1
Release Date: 06/23/2008
Address: 0xE4F00
Runtime Size: 110848 bytes
ROM Size: 1024 kB
Characteristics:
PCI is supported
PNP is supported
BIOS is upgradeable
BIOS shadowing is allowed
ESCD support is available
Boot from CD is supported
Selectable boot is supported
EDD is supported
3.5"/2.88 MB floppy services are supported (int 13h)
ACPI is supported
USB legacy is supported
LS-120 boot is supported
ATAPI Zip drive boot is supported
BIOS boot specification is supported
Targeted content distribution is supported
Another output from my laptop:
sudo dmidecode | less |
Sample outputs:
BIOS Information
Vendor: Dell Inc.
Version: A02
Release Date: 02/03/2010
Address: 0xF0000
Runtime Size: 64 kB
ROM Size: 2112 kB
Characteristics:
ISA is supported
PCI is supported
PC Card (PCMCIA) is supported
PNP is supported
BIOS is upgradeable
BIOS shadowing is allowed
Boot from CD is supported
Selectable boot is supported
3.5"/720 KB floppy services are supported (int 13h)
Print screen service is supported (int 5h)
8042 keyboard services are supported (int 9h)
Serial services are supported (int 14h)
Printer services are supported (int 17h)
CGA/mono video services are supported (int 10h)
ACPI is supported
USB legacy is supported
AGP is supported
Smart battery is supported
BIOS boot specification is supported
Function key-initiated network boot is supported
Targeted content distribution is supported
BIOS Revision: 0.2
Firmware Revision: 0.2
Handle 0x0100, DMI type 1, 27 bytes
System Information
Manufacturer: Dell Inc.
Product Name: Precision M6500
Version: Not Specified
Serial Number: 55Lxxxx
UUID: 4a2yzzzeC-3500-xxx-yyy-Bzzzzyyy5y
Wake-up Type: Power Switch
SKU Number: Not Specified
Family:
How to check BIOS firmware version in Linux
In this example display BIOS version using the -s option:
sudo dmidecode -s bios-version
Let us try a bash for loop example to get more info:
for d in system-manufacturer system-product-name bios-release-date bios-version do echo "${d^} : " $(sudo dmidecode -s $d) done |
It is possible to print all bios related info using the following syntax too:
sudo dmidecode --type bios
Sample outputs:
# dmidecode 3.1 Getting SMBIOS data from sysfs. SMBIOS 3.0.0 present. Handle 0x0000, DMI type 0, 24 bytes BIOS Information Vendor: American Megatrends Inc. Version: GL702ZC.305 Release Date: 05/10/2018 Address: 0xF0000 Runtime Size: 64 kB ROM Size: 16 MB Characteristics: PCI is supported BIOS is upgradeable BIOS shadowing is allowed Boot from CD is supported Selectable boot is supported BIOS ROM is socketed EDD is supported 5.25"/1.2 MB floppy services are supported (int 13h) 3.5"/720 kB floppy services are supported (int 13h) 3.5"/2.88 MB floppy services are supported (int 13h) Print screen service is supported (int 5h) Serial services are supported (int 14h) Printer services are supported (int 17h) ACPI is supported USB legacy is supported Smart battery is supported BIOS boot specification is supported Targeted content distribution is supported UEFI is supported BIOS Revision: 5.12 |
Conclusion
The dmidecode command summarizes information about your system’s hardware (laptop/desktop/server) as described in your system BIOS. It works with i386, x86-64, ia64 and arm64. For more info see the official project homepage here.
9 comment
It convert first character to uppercase. You need bash 4.x or above: