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VONDS ©

Lab 49: Finding System Information

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Gather OS and kernel details with uname, then pull hardware identifiers from SMBIOS tables using dmidecode. Confirm the machine’s architecture, vendor, model, and UUID for inventory and troubleshooting.

core boot services

Scenario

Your manager needs detailed info about this machine’s OS, hardware, and architecture. You’ll use uname for kernel and platform details, and dmidecode for manufacturer, product name, and UUID.

Operator context

uname reports what the running kernel knows. dmidecode reads SMBIOS/DMI data provided by firmware, which is commonly used for asset tracking and for identifying virtual machines.

Objective

  • Print the kernel name with uname.
  • Print the kernel release with uname -r.
  • Display full kernel/system info with uname -a.
  • Identify manufacturer with dmidecode -s system-manufacturer.
  • Identify product name with dmidecode -s system-product-name.
  • Retrieve the system UUID with dmidecode -s system-uuid.

Concepts

  • uname reflects the running kernel and runtime view of the system.
  • dmidecode reads firmware tables (SMBIOS/DMI), which can reveal vendor and model, especially on servers and VMs.
  • Firmware identity values can differ from OS identity values and are not always trustworthy in hostile environments.
  • UUIDs and product identifiers are common inventory keys; treat them as internal identifiers.

What You’ll Practice

  • Using uname flags to extract kernel name, release, and architecture.
  • Pulling SMBIOS identity fields with dmidecode -s for quick, script-friendly output.
  • Recognizing when firmware data indicates a VM vs physical server.
  • Collecting details commonly needed for incident tickets, audits, and CMDB inventory.

Walkthrough

Step 1 : Print the kernel name.
Command 
uname
Linux
Step 2 : Print the kernel release version.
Command 
uname -r
5.15.0-88-generic
Step 3 : Display full system info from uname.
Command 
uname -a
Linux sysinfo 5.15.0-88-generic #98-Ubuntu SMP x86_64 GNU/Linux

If you need only architecture, prefer uname -m for a clean, script-friendly value.

Step 4 : View the system manufacturer.
Command 
sudo dmidecode -s system-manufacturer

On VMs this often reports the virtualization platform vendor. On physical servers you’ll typically see Dell, HPE, Lenovo, Supermicro, or similar. 

QEMU
Step 5 : Check the system product name.
Command 
sudo dmidecode -s system-product-name
Standard PC (i440FX + PIIX, 1996)
Step 6 : View the system UUID.
Command 
sudo dmidecode -s system-uuid
Note

UUIDs are frequently used by inventory systems and cloud tooling. Treat them as identifiers and avoid sharing them publicly in real environments. 

12345678-90ab-cdef-1234-567890abcdef

Common breakpoints

dmidecode fails or returns empty values

Some containers and restricted VMs do not expose SMBIOS to the guest. Run as root, and understand that some platforms will not provide these fields.

Permission denied

dmidecode requires access to firmware interfaces, so you typically need sudo.

uname output differs from ticket expectations

uname reports kernel details, not necessarily the distribution name. For distro, use /etc/os-release in real troubleshooting.

Cleanup checklist

No changes are made in this lab. If you installed dmidecode specifically for the exercise and want to remove it, uninstall it using your system package manager.

Reference

  • uname: prints kernel and system information.
    • uname: kernel name
    • uname -r: kernel release
    • uname -a: all available information
    • uname -m: machine hardware name (architecture)
  • dmidecode: dumps SMBIOS/DMI firmware tables (usually requires root).
    • dmidecode -s system-manufacturer: vendor/manufacturer string
    • dmidecode -s system-product-name: product model name
    • dmidecode -s system-uuid: UUID from firmware
  • /etc/os-release: distribution identification data (common source for OS name/version).