I am a new Ubuntu Linux user and purchased a laptop from Dell with per-installed Ubuntu operating systems. How do I find the Linux kernel version and Ubuntu release version using the terminal application?

On Ubuntu Linux you can use the following commands to find out the information about the Linux kernel and Ubuntu release:

1. uname command – Display name and information about current kernel.
2. /proc/version file – Same as uname command.
3. lsb_release command – Display Ubuntu Linux distribution version and release information.

How to find Ubuntu Linux kernel version

Type the following command:
$ uname -r
Sample outputs:

3.2.0-51-generic

OR
$ uname -a
Sample outputs:

Linux b1 3.2.0-51-generic #77-Ubuntu SMP Wed Jul 24 20:18:19 UTC 2013 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux

The above output indicates that I am using Linux kernel version 3.2.0 on Ubuntu. You can use the cat command to display the same information:
$ cat /proc/version

How to find the Ubuntu Distribution version

Type the following command:
$ lsb_release -a
Sample outputs:

No LSB modules are available.
Distributor ID:	Ubuntu
Description:	Ubuntu 12.04.3 LTS
Release:	12.04
Codename:	precise

The same information can be obtained by typing the following comamnd
$ cat /etc/lsb-release
OR
$ cat /etc/*-release
Sample outputs:

DISTRIB_ID=Ubuntu
DISTRIB_RELEASE=12.04
DISTRIB_CODENAME=precise
DISTRIB_DESCRIPTION="Ubuntu 12.04.3 LTS"

Related media

This tutorial is also available in a quick video format:

Video 01: Find The Linux Kernel Version Command Tutorial