Terminal Command for Proof of antiX-version

[Member NNO]

Hi everyone,
with which command in the terminal can I find out which exact version of antiX is running on my system?
Because I’m not sure if I’m still on 19.3 or already on 19.5.
Your help is much appreciated and I thank you in advance.
Have a nice Sunday.
Greetings, NNO

[Moderator Brian Masinick]

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cat /etc/*version
antiX-23.1-runit_x64-full Arditi del Popolo 6 November 2023
12.2
[antix1-23]/etc: > cat /etc/antix-version 
antiX-23.1-runit_x64-full Arditi del Popolo 6 November 2023

/etc/antix-version shows that I am running antiX-23.1-runit_x64-full Arditi del Popolo 6 November 2023
/etc/os-release

shows the following Debian information which also contains many of the antiX 23.1 software

cat /etc/os-release 
PRETTY_NAME="Debian GNU/Linux 12 (bookworm)"
NAME="Debian GNU/Linux"
VERSION_ID="12"
VERSION="12 (bookworm)"
VERSION_CODENAME=bookworm
ID=debian
HOME_URL="https://www.debian.org/"
SUPPORT_URL="https://www.debian.org/support"
BUG_REPORT_URL="https://bugs.debian.org/"

Your details will be similar, but different since you’re running an antiX 19 update instead of antiX 23.

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Brian Masinick

[Member NNO]

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Hi Brian,
with your commands mentioned I got the outputs:

cat /etc/*version  
antiX-19.3_386-full Manolis Glezos 15 October 2020
10.13

cat /etc/antix-version
antiX-19.3_386-full Manolis Glezos 15 October 2020

cat /etc/os-release
PRETTY_NAME="Debian GNU/Linux 10 (buster)" 
NAME="Debian GNU/Linux" 
VERSION_ID="10 (buster)" 
VERSION_CODENAME=buster 
ID=Debian 
HOME_URL="https://www.debian.org/" 
SUPPORT_URL="https://www.debian.org/support" 
BUG_REPORT_URL="https://bugs.debian.org/"

Now I know for sure which version my system runs.
Many thanks for your help. I’m grateful to you.

Best wishes, NNO

• This reply was modified 1 week, 4 days ago by NNO.
• This reply was modified 1 week, 4 days ago by NNO.
• This reply was modified 1 week, 4 days ago by NNO.

[Member Robin]

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Actually you only know which version of antiX you have had once installed. It won’t show you the actual current status from upgrading. So if you have always upgraded your system properly, It should have the (security) state of antiX 19.5, even when the file content of /etc/antix-version reads 19.3 still.
For example, long ago I installed antiX 21 and upgraded to antiX 22 completely. So I was running actually an antiX 22, but the system kept showing it was antiX 21. This behaviour is intended and by design, not an error.

Windows is like a submarine. Open a window and serious problems will start.

[Moderator Brian Masinick]

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What Robin states is 100% correct, but it doesn’t matter whatsoever
and here is why:

If you take a version of antiX and continue to update it, the
software will continually be updated until the binary repositories
listed in the directory /etc/apt/sources.list.d become out of
date.

At that point, in theory it’s possible to simply modify the ones
no longer being updated to a newer version and then you can continue
to use them. In practice, this is something for experienced users,
because when Debian, for example, changes from Bullseye to Bookworm
or Bookworm to Trixie, there can be other things that need to change
too, so when you attempt to do things like this, “strange messages”
can occur. If – and only if – you understand those strange messages
and know how to resolve whatever they may say, then you’re more
than welcome to update your system as long as you wish.

The vast majority of people can avoid all of this in a very simple
way: just backup any important information you have and install
a newer version of software, then bring back whatever information
(personal data or configurations, images, etc. that you want to
have on the system) and you can get a nice system put together
in a short time, especially if you master the techniques of
saving what you want to keep and restore them back after a
new installation.

I hope all of this helps; I can answer other questions; so
can many other people in this forum; best wishes!

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Brian Masinick

[Moderator Brian Masinick]

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To the previous post, these are the reasons why the specific
version number isn’t critical from a functional standpoint;
from a support standpoint, it’s better for support to have
the originally installed version because we then know the
release of the original software that is installed.

• This reply was modified 1 week, 4 days ago by Brian Masinick.

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Brian Masinick

[Member NNO]

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Hi Brian and Robin and everyone reading,

thank you for your elaborateness.
Time for me to digest your statements.
Time to first think about my questions coming up now.

Best regards

NNO

[Member NNO]

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Hi Robin,
you wrote

So if you have always upgraded your system properly, It should have the (security) state of antiX 19.5

How I can make sure or find out that in reality I run the 19.5-version?
Your help is much appreciated.
Best wishes
NNO

• This reply was modified 1 week, 2 days ago by NNO.

[Member PPC]

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NNO wrote:

cat /etc/antix-version
antiX-19.3_386-full Manolis Glezos 15 October 2020

Like previously state on this thread: there is only a way to show what system you installed… But updating that system always makes sure that you have the same packages as the latest point release of that version (in this case 19.5) has. This means that your system is (almost) exactly the same as it would be if you installed antiX 19.5

The final short answer is: you have antiX 19.3 installed, (and if you updated it, it is now) upgraded to have the same basic functionality (security wise, etc) as antiX 19.5

Answering directly to your last question- There are 2 ways to make sure that you “run the 19.5 version”:
1- install 19.5
2- install a previous 19 version, update it- you get the same packages as 19.5 (by default, you keep your config files, so, if any change was made to those files on a later version of the OS you initially installed, you’ll have to change those config files when updating OR manually update them)

P.

[Member Robin]

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Like stated before, and also like the others here have said: If you have apt upgraded your system, you have the very same version of packages, regardless whether you have started with antiX 19.5 or antiX 19.3. This is the basics.

I should probably add, since this is important, that the kernel won’t get upgraded by an apt dist-upgrade. So you have to update the kernel separately always (by installing one of the most recent kernels available). Running an outdated (unpatched) kernel is a security issue often. Please check:
uname -a
Which will show you what kernel you are currently running.

What might differ beyond this: Some programs might have been replaced by other functionally identical alternatives, some may have been removed, some tools might have been added, and like PPC already has mentioned, some config files might have been modified.

Please read https://www.antixforum.com/antix-19-5-point-release-update/ about what has been changed in detail.

NNO wrote:

How I can make sure or find out that in reality I run the 19.5-version?

You actually run antiX 19.3, and only if you apply all the changes listed in the announcement linked above, and make sure you fully dist-upgraded your system (including a separate kernel update) you actually have an antiX 19.5 (still reading 19.3 then, but this doesn’t matter)
But I don’t think there is a way to find out whether all this was applied or not to your system without checking all these details manually.

Is there a reason why you need to know the version number that precise? As said, if you apply all the dist-upgrade and kernel updates as announced you can run antiX 19 series for some more years, no need to install 21/22 or 23 if you don’t want this for some reason (even when from my experience 21, 22 and 23 do run really fine on 32 bit, you can check out using a Live USB stick before deciding)

Windows is like a submarine. Open a window and serious problems will start.

[Moderator Brian Masinick]

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PPC wrote:

cat /etc/antix-version

If you really, REALLY want it to report the version as 19.5, it is technically POSSIBLE
to physically edit the files that show the version, although there is no point in
doing so.

STILL, if it makes you more comfortable, run the command
sudo geany /etc/antix-version

Put the version string you want into the file, save and exit.
It won’t BREAK the system, it just isn’t the original system
you installed. Functionally, they are the same regardless
of what they’re named or numbered.

This is NOT an officially sanctioned practice or recommendation;
in fact, normally I wouldn’t recommend it, but if it makes you
feel more comfortable, it is possible.

• This reply was modified 1 week, 2 days ago by Brian Masinick.

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Brian Masinick

[Member NNO]

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Hi everyone,

first and foremost many thanks to PPC, Robin and Brian Masinick for your explanations.

@PPC:

PPC wrote (November 22, 2023 at 7:15 pm):

[…] There are 2 ways to make sure that you “run the 19.5 version”:
1- install 19.5
2- install a previous 19 version, update it- you get the same packages as 19.5 (by default, you keep your config files, so, if any change was made to those files on a later version of the OS you initially installed, you’ll have to change those config files when updating OR manually update them)

So far I never changed anything in the configuration files of the systems I use, because I am not that experienced by now.

@Robin:
By running the command „uname -a“ I get the following information regarding the kernel-version:
Linux antix-desktop1 5.10.142-antix.2-486-smp #1 SMP Sun Sep 11 06:50:18 EDT 2022 GNU/Linux
So, it is: the non-pae-kernel 5.10.142 for 32-bit.

In addition I followed your hint and read the 19.5-point-release-information. Thanks!

Robin wrote (November 22, 2023 at 8:16 pm):

But I don’t think there is a way to find out whether all this was applied or not to your system without checking all these details manually.

I am afraid I have to agree. That would be a lot of manual work to do.

Robin wrote (November 22, 2023 at 8:16 pm):

Is there a reason why you need to know the version number that precise?

AntiX-linux runs on my approximately 20-year-old backup-desktop-computer from around the year 2003 / 2005. That means my antiX-machine should always be ready for the times when my main computer (an old Macintosh laptop) is in repair or someday broken to fill the gap till a new(er) machine replaces my recent main machine. Because my main machine worked just fine for almost a year now, my antiX-desktop-machine was unused for almost that year. By starting the backup-desktop-computer after such a long time I wanted to make sure that everything gets up to date after upgrading the whole system (kernel + packages) to the latest iteration of antiX-19, namely 19.5. And out of interest in the matter, I asked here in the forum on how to make sure that the system is finally at the intended version.

Robin wrote (November 22, 2023 at 8:16 pm):

[…] from my experience 21, 22 and 23 do run really fine on 32 bit, you can check out using a Live USB stick before deciding

Thank you, I will try that out with the latest version available soon.

@Brian Masinick:

Brian wrote (November 22, 2023 at 9:21 pm):

sudo geany /etc/antix-version

I looked into the possibility you showed me and decided not to do that with all the information in mind all of you gave me. But many thanks nonetheless.

QUESTION: According to cli-aptiX the kernel 5.10.142 is the latest for my antiX-19.5 as 32-bit-system. Is that right or is there a newer kernel available? <– Your hints are much appreciated.

Best wishes

NNO

• This reply was modified 4 days, 18 hours ago by NNO.
• This reply was modified 4 days, 18 hours ago by NNO.
• This reply was modified 4 days, 18 hours ago by NNO.

[Moderator Brian Masinick]

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@NNO there are many newer kernels than 5.10.142. If you prefer a 5 series kernel, I think there is a high 100’s number; I think it’s around 190. Our antiX version 6 kernel is 6.1.55 if you are using antiX 23 or 6.1.60 if you use antiX 23.1.
I rarely use the 5 series kernels any more, which is why I don’t remember, and I happen to be using our brother distro, MX Linux; otherwise I could check immediately. I’ve found that the Version 6 kernels do work on some of my oldest computer systems.

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Brian Masinick

[Member Robin]

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@masinick , Brian in 32bit antiX doesn’t have a 6.x kernel by now. Hence I have installed the latest default debian kernel instead on my 32 bit notebook (mostly same age as the one NNO has described).

The latest 5.x antiX kernel for 32 bit is currently 5.10.197 on antiX 23.

But I can’t tell whether these are present on antiX 19, 21 or even on 22.

Does anybody know how to find out this detail when not running the very version of antiX?

So I’m not sure whether there is an antiX kernel on 19.x available more recent than the one NNO already has found:

Brian Masinick wrote:

According to cli-aptiX the kernel 5.10.142 is the latest for my antiX-19.5 as 32-bit-system. Is that right or is there a newer kernel available?

@NNO
Have no experience with cli-aptiX, (sorry I’m still too much used to do this kind of stuff on console, using apt sub-commands directly). Have explained the complete procedure multiple times here in forum, so, please see my posting below about how to find out which kernels are on your current system available and how to install them.

https://www.antixforum.com/forums/reply/98421/
https://www.antixforum.com/forums/reply/104734/
and some more, too lazy to search right now 😉

Never forget to apt-get update first, before starting a search or an installation.

In case you want to see also the available default debian kernels you can install on your system within the listing, just drop the “| grep antix” part of the line (and for sure, the “| grep amd64” part, since you are running 32bit.)

And then, some people here around have experience with liquorix kernels (search forum). You can also give those a try (if available for 32bit), you’ll have to add the respective repository to the apt config files. I have no experience at all with liquorix kernels by now. Once I have some more spare time I’ll experiment, for sure.

Whatever kernel you decide to give a try, make absolutely sure to install the very same version of linux-image and linux-headers. They MUST match.

Windows is like a submarine. Open a window and serious problems will start.

[Moderator Brian Masinick]

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Thanks @Robin
Good information.

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Brian Masinick

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