System Info

Summary

This note is a quick reference for identifying the current Linux system, checking runtime state, and confirming a few basic host details before you go deeper into troubleshooting.

Commands

Command	Purpose
cat /etc/os-release	check Linux distribution metadata
uname -r	check the current kernel version
hostnamectl	show host identity and OS summary
systemctl status <service>	inspect service state
journalctl -xe	inspect recent system and service events
journalctl -b	inspect logs from the current boot

Example usage

cat /etc/os-release
uname -r
hostnamectl
journalctl -b

Notes

• start here when you need to confirm what system you are on before troubleshooting further
• hostnamectl, uname, and /etc/os-release answer slightly different questions, so it is normal to use more than one
• distro-specific host checks, such as rpm-ostree status, belong in Fedora Atomic notes rather than general Linux reference

Related

• Back to Linux Reference
• [Process management](Process management)
• Networking
• Safe Linux Diagnostics
• Fedora Atomic system info