catman(8) on Solnix vs Linux and the BSDs
On Solnix, catman is the illumos catman at /usr/bin/catman. It only builds whatis databases for apropos(1) and whatis(1). Linux and NetBSD catman instead pre-format cat pages, so a script that expects cat pages from catman gets none on Solnix.
The manual pages
- Solnix: catman(8) from
pkgs.solnix.illumos-world-man· illumos.org - Linux: catman(8) man-db-2.13.1
- NetBSD: catman(8) 11.0
What Solnix runs
A default Solnix system runs the illumos catman at /usr/bin/catman, published in pkgs.solnix.illumos-world-man. No other variants are shipped. The page says catman is supplied for compatibility and that man(1) with -w should be used instead. Its interface stability is listed as Obsolete Committed.
Differences
| Compared with | Topic | What differs |
|---|---|---|
| Linux, NetBSD | what catman produces | Solnix catman generates whatis database files for apropos(1) and whatis(1). Linux catman creates or updates pre-formatted cat pages. NetBSD catman formats cat pages from nroff source and also regenerates the whatis database when pages are regenerated. Source: Solnix catman(8) NAME, DESCRIPTION; Linux catman(8) NAME, DESCRIPTION; NetBSD catman(8) DESCRIPTION |
| NetBSD | -w meaning | Solnix catman -w is accepted for backwards compatibility and ignored. On NetBSD, -w means only create the whatis database and skip formatting pages. The same flag has opposite effect in the two.Source: Solnix catman(8) -w; NetBSD catman(8) -w |
| NetBSD | -M meaning | Solnix -M path takes colon-separated manual paths in which to build whatis files and overrides MANPATH. NetBSD -M directory names a directory whose manual pages are updated, and the page does not describe colon-separated lists.Source: Solnix catman(8) -M, ENVIRONMENT; NetBSD catman(8) -M |
| Linux | -M meaning and defaults | Solnix and Linux both take -M path as a colon-separated manual path. Linux defaults to the system hierarchies in the man-db configuration file. The Solnix page says only that -M overrides MANPATH.Source: Solnix catman(8) -M; Linux catman(8) -M, --manpath |
| Linux, NetBSD | section arguments | Linux and NetBSD catman accept section arguments to limit which sections are processed. The Solnix synopsis is catman [-M path] [-w] and takes no section argument.Source: Solnix catman(8) SYNOPSIS; Linux catman(8) SYNOPSIS; NetBSD catman(8) SYNOPSIS, DESCRIPTION |
| Linux, NetBSD | missing options | Solnix catman has none of the Linux options -d, -C, --help, --usage and -V, nor the NetBSD options -k, -n, -p, -s and -m. A script passing any of them to Solnix catman will not work.Source: Solnix catman(8) SYNOPSIS, OPTIONS; Linux catman(8) OPTIONS; NetBSD catman(8) OPTIONS |
| Linux | environment variables | Solnix catman reads only MANPATH. Linux catman also reads MANSECT to choose sections, and has -C to select a user configuration file (default ~/.manpath). The Solnix page documents neither.Source: Solnix catman(8) ENVIRONMENT; Linux catman(8) ENVIRONMENT, -C |
| Linux, NetBSD | recommended replacement | The Solnix page says man(1) with -w generates the same databases and should be used instead of catman. The Linux and NetBSD pages do not say catman is deprecated.Source: Solnix catman(8) DESCRIPTION; Linux catman(8) DESCRIPTION; NetBSD catman(8) DESCRIPTION |
| Linux, NetBSD | exit status documented | The Solnix page documents exit 0 on success and >0 on error. The Linux and NetBSD pages have no EXIT STATUS section. Source: Solnix catman(8) EXIT STATUS; Linux catman(8); NetBSD catman(8) |
Standards
- POSIX: catman is not a POSIX.1-2024 utility.
- Solnix: Interface Stability: Obsolete Committed.
Writing portable scripts
- Do not rely on catman to build cat pages in a portable script: on Solnix it only builds whatis databases and ignores
-w. Use man-won Solnix for the database, as its page recommends.
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.