How can you find out which linux distribution you are currently using, from the shell? [closed]

Question

Possible Duplicate:
How do I find out what version of Linux is running?

This happens sometimes: I ssh into a machine but I forgot (or never knew) what linux distribution it's running.

How can I find out? I'd like a general way to at least solve this problem for the more popular distributions - I don't mind if it involves several steps, but one single command would be ideal :)

Answer 1

See:

• http://serverfault.com/questions/3331/how-do-i-find-out-what-version-of-linux-is-running
• http://serverfault.com/questions/57616/how-do-i-find-out-the-distro-of-a-server
• http://serverfault.com/questions/48642/how-to-find-out-details-about-hardware-on-the-linux-machine
• http://serverfault.com/questions/27590/how-do-i-know-if-i-am-running-32-or-64-bit-linux

Answer 2

"cat /etc/issue" will show the distribution on most platforms, unless someone has modified it.