How to check the Kernel version in Linux (Ubuntu / CentOS / Red Hat / Debian)

As you aware, it is essential to upgrade Linux Kernel whenever this is an update available. Most of the updates fix the critical security vulnerabilities and other bugs fix.

In our previous article, we have explained how can you upgrade your Linux Kernel to latest version (for CentOS and Red Hat servers). Once it is installed, it is essential to verify that your server is booted using the new Kernel. The following command works with all Linux distributions i.e. Ubuntu, Red Hat, CentOS etc. It also works on other Unix  like operating systems such as FreeBSD, Solaris, OpenBSD etc. To check the Kernel version, use the following command:

uname -a

This should provide output as follow:

2.6.32-431.11.2.el6.x86_64

Following are the additional options for uname command:

-a, --all                print all information
-s, --kernel-name        print the kernel name
-n, --nodename           print the network node hostname
-r, --kernel-release     print the kernel release
-v, --kernel-version     print the kernel version
-m, --machine            print the machine hardware name
-p, --processor          print the processor type or "unknown"
-i, --hardware-platform  print the hardware platform or "unknown"
-o, --operating-system   print the operating system
--help                   display this help and exit
--version                output version information and exit

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