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Linux OS Overview

Linux OS version and system details​

There are several commands you can use in Linux to get information about the #linux #OS #version and system details:

  1. uname -a
  • Shows kernel version and basic system information
  • Example output: Linux hostname 5.4.0-81-generic #ubuntu SMP Thu Jul 15 19:09:17 UTC 2021 x86_64 GNU/Linux
  1. cat /etc/os-release
  • Shows detailed OS information including version, name, ID
  • More human-readable format
  1. lsb_release -a
  • Shows LSB (Linux Standard Base) information
  • Distribution-specific information
  1. hostnamectl
  • Shows system hostname and operating system information
  • Also displays virtualization details
  1. cat /proc/version
  • Shows Linux kernel version information
  1. neofetch
  • A command-line system information tool (needs to be installed)
  • Shows OS, kernel, uptime, packages, shell, etc. in a visually appealing format

Example using multiple commands:

# Get basic system info
uname -a

# Get OS details
cat /etc/os-release

# Get distribution info
lsb_release -a

# Get system and OS info
hostnamectl

Ubuntu system information​

Here are several ways to check system information in Ubuntu:

  1. System Overview:
# GUI Method: Open "Settings -> About"
# Command Line Methods:
neofetch            # Needs installation: sudo apt install neofetch
screenfetch         # Alternative to neofetch
  1. Hardware Information:
# CPU Info
lscpu               # CPU architecture info
cat /proc/cpuinfo   # Detailed CPU info

# Memory Info
free -h             # RAM usage in human-readable format
cat /proc/meminfo   # Detailed memory info

# Disk Space
df -h               # Disk space usage
lsblk               # Block devices info

# Hardware Overview
sudo lshw           # Detailed hardware info
sudo lshw -short    # Shortened hardware info
  1. System Monitoring:
top                 # Process activity in real-time
htop                # Enhanced version of top (needs installation)
  1. Graphics Info:
lspci | grep -i vga  # Graphics card info
glxinfo | grep OpenGL # OpenGL info
  1. Network Info:
ifconfig            # Network interfaces info
ip a               # Modern alternative to ifconfig
  1. Package Information:
dpkg -l            # List installed packages
apt list --installed # Alternative way to list packages
  1. System Logs:
dmesg              # Kernel ring buffer
journalctl        # System logs
  1. Install System Information Tools:
sudo apt update
sudo apt install hardinfo    # GUI system info tool
sudo apt install htop
sudo apt install neofetch
  1. Temperature Monitoring:
# Install sensors
sudo apt install lm-sensors
sudo sensors-detect
sensors            # Show temperature info
  1. Device Information:
sudo dmidecode    # Hardware info from BIOS

These commands provide different aspects of system information. You can use them based on what specific information you need. Remember that some commands might require sudo privileges.