How do I find out BIOS version using a Linux command line option? How do I check the motherboard BIOS version using Linux command line option?
To find out BIOS version under Linux operating systems use the dmidecode command which is a tool to analyze BIOS data. You must log in as root user to run dmidecode command.
Linux find out BIOS version command
Type the following command:
## run as root user ## dmidecode | less ## or use sudo ## sudo dmidecode | less |
Sample outputs:
dmidecode 2.10 SMBIOS 2.5 present. 45 structures occupying 1832 bytes. Table at 0xCFF6A000. Handle 0x0000, DMI type 0, 24 bytes BIOS Information Vendor: Phoenix Technologies LTD Version: 2.1 Release Date: 06/23/2008 Address: 0xE4F00 Runtime Size: 110848 bytes ROM Size: 1024 kB Characteristics: PCI is supported PNP is supported BIOS is upgradeable BIOS shadowing is allowed ESCD support is available Boot from CD is supported Selectable boot is supported EDD is supported 3.5"/2.88 MB floppy services are supported (int 13h) ACPI is supported USB legacy is supported LS-120 boot is supported ATAPI Zip drive boot is supported BIOS boot specification is supported Targeted content distribution is supported
Another output from my laptop:
sudo dmidecode | less |
Sample outputs:
BIOS Information Vendor: Dell Inc. Version: A02 Release Date: 02/03/2010 Address: 0xF0000 Runtime Size: 64 kB ROM Size: 2112 kB Characteristics: ISA is supported PCI is supported PC Card (PCMCIA) is supported PNP is supported BIOS is upgradeable BIOS shadowing is allowed Boot from CD is supported Selectable boot is supported 3.5"/720 KB floppy services are supported (int 13h) Print screen service is supported (int 5h) 8042 keyboard services are supported (int 9h) Serial services are supported (int 14h) Printer services are supported (int 17h) CGA/mono video services are supported (int 10h) ACPI is supported USB legacy is supported AGP is supported Smart battery is supported BIOS boot specification is supported Function key-initiated network boot is supported Targeted content distribution is supported BIOS Revision: 0.2 Firmware Revision: 0.2 Handle 0x0100, DMI type 1, 27 bytes System Information Manufacturer: Dell Inc. Product Name: Precision M6500 Version: Not Specified Serial Number: 55Lxxxx UUID: 4a2yzzzeC-3500-xxx-yyy-Bzzzzyyy5y Wake-up Type: Power Switch SKU Number: Not Specified Family:
How to check BIOS firmware version in Linux
In this example display BIOS version using the -s option:sudo dmidecode -s bios-version
Let us try a bash for loop example to get more info:
for d in system-manufacturer system-product-name bios-release-date bios-version do echo "${d^} : " $(sudo dmidecode -s $d) done |
It is possible to print all bios related info using the following syntax too:sudo dmidecode --type bios
Sample outputs:
# dmidecode 3.1 Getting SMBIOS data from sysfs. SMBIOS 3.0.0 present. Handle 0x0000, DMI type 0, 24 bytes BIOS Information Vendor: American Megatrends Inc. Version: GL702ZC.305 Release Date: 05/10/2018 Address: 0xF0000 Runtime Size: 64 kB ROM Size: 16 MB Characteristics: PCI is supported BIOS is upgradeable BIOS shadowing is allowed Boot from CD is supported Selectable boot is supported BIOS ROM is socketed EDD is supported 5.25"/1.2 MB floppy services are supported (int 13h) 3.5"/720 kB floppy services are supported (int 13h) 3.5"/2.88 MB floppy services are supported (int 13h) Print screen service is supported (int 5h) Serial services are supported (int 14h) Printer services are supported (int 17h) ACPI is supported USB legacy is supported Smart battery is supported BIOS boot specification is supported Targeted content distribution is supported UEFI is supported BIOS Revision: 5.12 |
Conclusion
The dmidecode command summarizes information about your system’s hardware (laptop/desktop/server) as described in your system BIOS. It works with i386, x86-64, ia64 and arm64. For more info see the official project homepage here.
