Man pages › Compared with Linux and the BSDs

`automount(8)` on Solnix vs Linux and the BSDs

On Solnix, automount is the illumos /usr/sbin/automount. It reads /etc/auto_master and brings the autofs mounts in /etc/mnttab into line with it. It takes only -v and -t duration. The FreeBSD and NetBSD automount has -L, -c, -f, -o, -u and -D, and the Linux automount is a different program, a daemon with many options.

The manual pages

Solnix: automount(8) from pkgs.solnix.illumos-world-man · illumos.org
Linux: automount(8) autofs-5.1.9
FreeBSD: automount(8) 15.1-RELEASE
NetBSD: automount(8) 11.0

What Solnix runs

A default Solnix system runs the illumos automount at /usr/sbin/automount. No other variants are shipped. The Solnix page starts automountd(8) itself when the maps have non-trivial entries and the daemon is not already running.

Differences

Compared with	Topic	What differs
Linux	program role	Linux automount is the autofs daemon. It reads auto.master(5), can run in the foreground (`-f`), and writes a pid file (`-p`). Solnix automount is a run-and-exit command that installs mount points and starts automountd(8) if needed. Source: Linux automount(8) DESCRIPTION, -f, -p; Solnix automount(8) DESCRIPTION
Linux	`-t` meaning	Both systems document a 10 minute default for `-t`. On Linux `-t` takes seconds and 0 disables unmounts. The Linux page says the installed configuration overrides the default to 5 minutes. The Solnix page documents only `-t` duration, in seconds. Source: Linux automount(8) -t, --timeout; Solnix automount(8) -t duration
Linux	`-v` and `-d`	Both have `-v` for verbose output. Linux also has `-d`[LEVEL] for debug logging and `-l` to change the log priority of a running daemon. The Solnix page documents neither. Source: Linux automount(8) -v, -d, -l; Solnix automount(8) OPTIONS
FreeBSD, NetBSD	`-t` missing	FreeBSD and NetBSD automount have no `-t`. Solnix `-t` sets how long an idle file system stays mounted. The BSD pages do not describe a timeout option. Source: Solnix automount(8) -t; FreeBSD automount(8) SYNOPSIS; NetBSD automount(8) SYNOPSIS
FreeBSD, NetBSD	`-v` meaning	On Solnix, `-v` is verbose mode reporting autofs mounts, unmounts and other non-essential information. On FreeBSD and NetBSD, `-v` increases verbosity, which suggests it can be repeated. Only the BSD text hints at levels. Source: Solnix automount(8) -v; FreeBSD automount(8) -v; NetBSD automount(8) -v
FreeBSD, NetBSD	dry-run and unmount options	FreeBSD and NetBSD have `-L` to print the parsed maps without mounting, `-u` to unmount, `-f` to force it, and `-c` to flush caches. Solnix has none of these. It removes mounts for entries that were deleted from the maps. Source: FreeBSD automount(8) -L, -u, -f, -c; NetBSD automount(8) -L, -u, -f, -c; Solnix automount(8) DESCRIPTION
FreeBSD, NetBSD	`-D` and `-o`	On FreeBSD and NetBSD, `-D` and `-o` are only useful with `-L`. Solnix has neither option. Source: FreeBSD automount(8) -D, -o; NetBSD automount(8) -D, -o; Solnix automount(8) SYNOPSIS
Linux	`-D` and `-O`	Linux `-D` defines a global map variable, and `-O` sets global mount options for all master map entries. Solnix has neither. In both Linux and Solnix, mount options in the map entries apply per entry. Source: Linux automount(8) -D, -O; Solnix automount(8) OPTIONS, DESCRIPTION
Linux, FreeBSD, NetBSD	master map file and state	Solnix reads `/etc/auto_master` and compares it with `/etc/mnttab.` The default file has +auto_master (NIS), /net `-hosts` `-nosuid` and /home auto_home. The FreeBSD and NetBSD pages name auto_master(5). The Linux page names auto.master(5), with a dot. Source: Solnix automount(8) DESCRIPTION; FreeBSD automount(8) DESCRIPTION; NetBSD automount(8) DESCRIPTION; Linux automount(8) DESCRIPTION
Linux, FreeBSD, NetBSD	Solaris Trusted Extensions	Only the Solnix page describes Solaris Trusted Extensions handling, which generates auto_home_zonename maps for lower-level zones. The other pages do not mention it. Source: Solnix automount(8) Automount with Solaris Trusted Extensions
FreeBSD, NetBSD	exit status	FreeBSD and NetBSD document exit 0 on success and >0 on error. The Solnix text in the bundle has no exit status section visible, because the page is trimmed. Source: FreeBSD automount(8) EXIT STATUS; NetBSD automount(8) EXIT STATUS

Standards

POSIX: automount is not a POSIX.1-2024 utility.

Writing portable scripts

Do not assume the same options everywhere. Run plain automount with no arguments to sync mounts on Solnix, FreeBSD and NetBSD. On Linux automount runs as a daemon, so use the autofs service tooling instead.
Avoid -t, -v and -L in portable scripts. -t exists on Solnix and Linux only, and -L only on FreeBSD and NetBSD.

Every difference here is taken from the manual pages linked above: Solnix's published page, Linux (man-pages and the GNU and util-linux manuals), FreeBSD, OpenBSD and NetBSD. Each row names its source. Where a manual is silent, this page is too. Compiled 2026-10-26. Found a mistake? Mail hackers@lists.solnix.io.