To find the version information of MYSQL server from command line log into MYSQL server using command

mysql -h hostname -uusername -p

You would be prompted for the password for the user on the server type the same and press Enter key.

You would be presented with MYSQL console client, then type in the command

SHOW VARIABLES LIKE "%version%";

This should present you with output like below

mysql> SHOW VARIABLES LIKE "%version%";
+-------------------------+------------------------------+
| Variable_name           | Value                        |
+-------------------------+------------------------------+
| innodb_version          | 1.1.8                        |
| protocol_version        | 10                           |
| slave_type_conversions  |                              |
| version                 | 5.5.24-log                   |
| version_comment         | MySQL Community Server (GPL) |
| version_compile_machine | x86                          |
| version_compile_os      | Win32                        |
+-------------------------+------------------------------+
7 rows in set (0.05 sec)

Hope this helps.