What version Linux kernal?

Sometimes I'll read Linux 2.6 kernel when reading an article about Linux.
Or Linux 2.4.15 kernel.
How do I find out what version I have?

 

Go to terminal and type command:

Code:

uname -a

this should list full kernel info...

 

This is what I got:
Linux me-desktopHP 2.6.24-19-generic #1 SMP Wed Aug 20 22:56:21 UTC 2008 i686 GNU/Linux

me-desktopHP is the name I gave this computer
2.6.24-19-generic How do I read this? Version 2.6.24? what is -19-generic?
#1 SMP what does this mean?

thanks in advance.
stephen

 

The part following the - (hyphen) is the version assigned by the distributor. The first number before the hyphen is the version number assigned by kernel.org, the maintainers of the Linux kernel headed by Linus Torvalds.

SMP means it was compiled to accommodate multi-processors or multi-core processors.

Cheers.

 

You can also use: uname -r

to get just the kernel identifier (-a gives you a lot of extra information).

For example:

Code:

perryd@myrtille:~$ uname -r
2.6.27-8.102208

Is a 2.6.27 kernel.

Perry
www.kidpub.com

 

I got interested in this uname command and what it was giving me so I did some searching and found out more.
Below I have printed the command I entered on the 1st line and the output of the command on the 2nd line.
I found there are shortcuts; e.g. -a is equivalent to --all. But I thought it was more informative to use the long-cut instead.
I like it when things come clear. :geek:

$ uname --all
Linux me-desktopHP 2.6.24-19-generic #1 SMP Wed Aug 20 22:56:21 UTC 2008 i686 GNU/Linux

$ uname --kernel-name
Linux

$ uname --nodename
me-desktopHP

$ uname --kernel-release
2.6.24-19-generic

$ uname --kernel-version
#1 SMP Wed Aug 20 22:56:21 UTC 2008

$ uname --machine
i686

$ uname --processor
unknown

$ uname --hardware-platform
unknown

$ uname --operating-system
GNU/Linux