GNU/Linux Detecting Linux distribution name and version find your linux os (both debian & rpm) name and release number
Example
Most of linux distros stores its version info in the /etc/lsb-release (debian) or /etc/redhat-release (RPM based) file. Using below generic command should get you past most of the Debian and RPM derivatives as Linux Mint and Cent-Os.
Example on Ubuntu Machine:
cat /etc/*release
DISTRIB_ID=Ubuntu DISTRIB_RELEASE=14.04 DISTRIB_CODENAME=trusty DISTRIB_DESCRIPTION="Ubuntu 14.04 LTS"
