Using a bash function to determine the CPU architecture: amd64 or i386, x86_64 or i386
function os_cpu_bits() { if uname -a | grep "x86_64" 1> /dev/null then echo "amd64" elif uname -a | grep "i386" 1> /dev/null then echo "i386" else echo "unknown" fi } architecture=$(os_cpu_bits) echo "$architecture" # amd64
References
1. http://askubuntu.com/questions/41332/how-do-i-check-if-i-have-a-32-bit-or-a-64-bit-os
2. http://www.linuxjournal.com/content/return-values-bash-functions