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VONDS ©

Lab 49: Finding System Information

Lab Index

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.

boot services core

Scenario

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

Operator context

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

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.

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.
  • Understanding when firmware-reported data differs from OS-reported data (physical vs VM).
  • 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
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 usually 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

Reference

  • uname: prints kernel and system information.
    • uname -s: kernel name (same as default on most systems)
    • 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