Banners and the uname command

Here are three different ways you can determine which version of UNIX you are using.
The images below use a Linux example, but the concepts are the same for all UNIX systems. The /etc/motd is a file on Unix and Linux systems that contains a "message of the day", used to send a common message to all users in a more efficient manner than broadcasting an e-mail message. Other systems might also have an motd feature