dfshares(8) on Solnix vs Linux and the BSDs
dfshares is the illumos command at /usr/sbin/dfshares. With no arguments it lists the resources the local system currently shares, whatever the file system type. The Linux and BSD counterparts, showmount, instead query a remote NFS server's mount daemon, and their default output is the list of clients mounting from that host.
The manual pages
- Solnix: dfshares(8) from
pkgs.solnix.illumos-world-man· illumos.org - Linux: showmount(8) nfs-utils-2.9.1 (different command, similar job)
- FreeBSD: showmount(8) 15.1-RELEASE (different command, similar job)
- OpenBSD: showmount(8) 8.0 (different command, similar job)
- NetBSD: showmount(8) 11.0 (different command, similar job)
What Solnix runs
A default Solnix system runs the illumos dfshares at /usr/sbin/dfshares. No other variants are shipped. The page does not say whether Solnix ships a showmount command. dfmounts(8), share(8) and unshare(8) are listed in SEE ALSO.
Differences
| Compared with | Topic | What differs |
|---|---|---|
| all four | default output | With no arguments, dfshares lists what the local system shares, for any file system type. showmount with no options lists the hosts that have NFS file systems mounted from the given host. Source: Solnix dfshares(8) DESCRIPTION; Linux showmount(8) DESCRIPTION; FreeBSD showmount(8) DESCRIPTION; OpenBSD showmount(8) DESCRIPTION; NetBSD showmount(8) DESCRIPTION |
| all four | file system scope | dfshares works with any distributed file system type, chosen by -F FSType. showmount is described only as an NFS tool.Source: Solnix dfshares(8) DESCRIPTION, -F; Linux showmount(8) NAME; FreeBSD showmount(8) NAME; OpenBSD showmount(8) NAME; NetBSD showmount(8) NAME |
| all four | default file system type | dfshares -F defaults to the first entry in /etc/dfs/fstypes. The showmount pages mention no such file and have no file system type option.Source: Solnix dfshares(8) -F; showmount(8) SYNOPSIS on all four counterparts |
| all four | listing exports | dfshares has no -e. showmount -e shows a host's export list. On Solnix, dfshares with no arguments lists local shares, and the page says server semantics depend on the file system type.Source: Solnix dfshares(8) SYNOPSIS, DESCRIPTION; Linux showmount(8) -e; FreeBSD showmount(8) -e; OpenBSD showmount(8) -e; NetBSD showmount(8) -e |
| all four | -h meaning | On Solnix, -h suppresses the header line. On Linux, -h (--help) prints a help summary. Linux suppresses headings with --no-headers. The BSD showmount pages have no -h.Source: Solnix dfshares(8) -h; Linux showmount(8) -h, --no-headers; FreeBSD/OpenBSD/NetBSD showmount(8) SYNOPSIS |
| all four | output format | dfshares prints whitespace-separated fields: resource server access transport. A null field is shown as a hyphen, and the hyphen may be omitted if all remaining fields are null. showmount prints host names, directories or host:dirpath, depending on options. Source: Solnix dfshares(8) DESCRIPTION; Linux showmount(8) -a, -d; FreeBSD showmount(8) -a, -d; OpenBSD showmount(8) -a, -d; NetBSD showmount(8) -a, -d |
| all four | access and transport fields | dfshares reports ro or rw access and the transport provider. If it cannot determine access, it shows a hyphen. showmount output as documented has no access or transport field. Source: Solnix dfshares(8) DESCRIPTION (access, transport); showmount(8) OPTIONS on all four counterparts |
| FreeBSD, NetBSD | script-friendly output | FreeBSD and NetBSD showmount -E gives an export list without client addresses or header, and with special characters escaped. dfshares has no such option. Its -h only drops the header line.Source: FreeBSD showmount(8) -E; NetBSD showmount(8) -E; Solnix dfshares(8) OPTIONS |
| FreeBSD, OpenBSD, NetBSD | -3 meaning | On OpenBSD and NetBSD, showmount -3 selects mount protocol Version 3. On FreeBSD, -3 is ignored and -1 selects Version 1. dfshares has neither flag.Source: OpenBSD showmount(8) -3; NetBSD showmount(8) -3; FreeBSD showmount(8) -1, -3; Solnix dfshares(8) SYNOPSIS |
| Linux | long options | Linux showmount accepts long options (--all, --directories, --exports, --help, --version, --no-headers). The Solnix page documents only -F, -h and -o.Source: Linux showmount(8) SYNOPSIS, OPTIONS; Solnix dfshares(8) SYNOPSIS |
Everyday tasks
| Task | Solnix | Linux | FreeBSD | OpenBSD | NetBSD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| list resources shared by the local system | dfshares | — | — | — | — |
| show a server's export list | dfshares [-F FSType] server (server semantics depend on the file system type) | showmount -e host | showmount -e host | showmount -e host | showmount -e host |
| list clients mounting from a host | see dfmounts(8) | showmount host | showmount host | showmount host | showmount host |
| list client and directory pairs | — | showmount -a host | showmount -a host | showmount -a host | showmount -a host |
| suppress the header | dfshares -h | showmount --no-headers | showmount -E (script-friendly format) | — | showmount -E (script-friendly format) |
Standards
- POSIX: dfshares is not a POSIX.1-2024 utility.
- Solnix: The page has no STANDARDS or ATTRIBUTES section.
Writing portable scripts
- Do not use dfshares and showmount interchangeably. They answer different questions: what a system shares versus which clients mount from a server. Pick the tool that is present and handle each output format separately.
- Do not rely on
-hacross systems: it suppresses the header on Solnix but prints help on Linux, and the BSD showmount has no-h.
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.