Groups | Search | Server Info | Keyboard shortcuts | Login | Register [http] [https] [nntp] [nntps]

Groups > comp.misc > #2427

5 ways to tell if you're running 32 or 64 bit

Show all headers | View raw

From the «#1: ask mom» department:
Title: 5 Ways To Check If Linux OS is 32 bit or 64 Bit
Author: Himanshu Arora
Date: Fri, 11 Apr 2014 12:57:07 -0400
Link: http://mylinuxbook.com/5-ways-to-check-if-linux-is-32-bit-or-64-bit/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=5-ways-to-check-if-linux-is-32-bit-or-64-bit

Sometimes Linux newbies get confused while downloading a software because the
download page offers them both 32 bit and 64 bit versions of the same
software. It is important to know whether your Linux OS is 32-bit or 64-bit,
as this information is required while doing various tasks. In this article,
we will discuss five different ways to check if your Linux OS is 32-bit or
64-Bit.

Check If Linux is 32-bit or 64-Bit

Please note that the methods mentioned in this article are tested on Ubuntu
13.10.

1. Execute the ‘uname -a’ command

One of the most common way to check if your Linux OS is 32 bit or 64 Bit is
by running the uname command[1].

For example, on my system, it displayed the following information:
$ uname -a
Linux ubuntu 3.11.0-12-generic #19-Ubuntu SMP Wed Oct 9 16:12:00 UTC 2013 i686 athlon i686 GNU/Linux

The highlighted i686 (or i386 in some cases) signifies that the operating
system is 32 bit, but if x86_64 appears, then it means that the OS is 64 bit.

2. Execute the ‘uname -m’ command

A similar but slightly different way is to run the ‘uname -m’ command.

For example, on my system, it displayed the following information:
$ uname -m
i686

Which means that my Ubuntu Linux is 32-bit. If it would have been 64 bit, the
output would have been x86_64.

3. Using the file command

Although it’s a kind of hack, but still it can be used to solve the purpose.
In this case, you have run the file command with /sbin/init as an argument.

Here is an example :
$ file /sbin/init
/sbin/init: ELF 32-bit LSB shared object, Intel 80386, version 1 (SYSV), dynamically linked (uses shared libs), for GNU/Linux 2.6.24, BuildID[sha1]=0xc0d86a25a7abb14cad4a65a1f7d03605bcbd41f6, stripped

The highlighted 32-bit signifies a 32-bit OS, and vice-versa.

4. Using the arch command

Another alternative is to use the arch command, which prints the machine
hardware name.

Here is an example:
$ arch
i686

So you can see that the output was i686, which signifies a 32-bit OS. For a
64-bit OS, the output would have been x86_64.

5. Through system settings

If you are using Ubuntu 12.04 or higher, you can easily check your OS
architecture by going to All Settings -> Details.

[image 2]

So you can see that the OS type (32-bit) is clearly mentioned here.

Do you know other ways to check if Linux OS is 32 bit or 64 Bit? Share your
ideas in comments

The post 5 Ways To Check If Linux OS is 32 bit or 64 Bit[3] appeared first on
MyLinuxBook[4].

Links:
[1]: http://mylinuxbook.com/linux-uname-command/ (link)
[2]: http://mylinuxbook.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/details.png (image)
[3]: http://mylinuxbook.com/5-ways-to-check-if-linux-is-32-bit-or-64-bit/ (link)
[4]: http://mylinuxbook.com (link)

Back to comp.misc | Previous | Next | Find similar | Unroll thread

Thread

5 ways to tell if you're running 32 or 64 bit RS Wood  <rsw@therandymon.com> - 2014-04-18 14:19 +0000

csiph-web