dns-sd(8) on Solnix vs Linux and the BSDs
On a default Solnix system dns-sd is the illumos dns-sd at /usr/bin/dns-sd, documented in section 8. The Solnix and NetBSD pages describe the same ten modes with the same arguments. The visible differences are the man section, the daemon named in SEE ALSO, and the Interface Stability label.
The manual pages
- Solnix: dns-sd(8) from
pkgs.solnix.illumos-world-man· illumos.org - NetBSD: dns-sd(1) 11.0
What Solnix runs
The illumos dns-sd at /usr/bin/dns-sd is what runs by default, and the page is published by pkgs.solnix.illumos-world-man. No other variants are shipped. The bundle has no Linux, FreeBSD or OpenBSD dns-sd page, so nothing is claimed about those systems. The only counterpart is NetBSD dns-sd(1).
Differences
| Compared with | Topic | What differs |
|---|---|---|
| NetBSD | same command set | Solnix and NetBSD document the same modes with the same arguments: -E, -F, -R, -B, -L, -P, -q, -Z, -G and -V. The DESCRIPTION text is essentially identical. A NetBSD invocation should carry over to Solnix unchanged.Source: Solnix dns-sd(8) SYNOPSIS and DESCRIPTION; NetBSD dns-sd(1) SYNOPSIS and DESCRIPTION |
| NetBSD | man section | The Solnix page is dns-sd(8), in the administration section. The NetBSD page is dns-sd(1), in the user-commands section. Use `man 8 dns-sd` on Solnix and `man 1 dns-sd` on NetBSD. Source: Solnix dns-sd(8) header; NetBSD dns-sd(1) header |
| NetBSD | daemon named in SEE ALSO | The Solnix page points to mdnsd(8) and resolv.conf(5). The NetBSD page points to mDNSResponder(8). Both say -V returns the version of the running daemon or system service. Neither DESCRIPTION names the daemon.Source: Solnix dns-sd(8) SEE ALSO, -V; NetBSD dns-sd(1) SEE ALSO, -V |
| NetBSD | interface stability statement | The Solnix page labels the interface Volatile. The NetBSD page has no stability section. Both pages say the command-line arguments and output format are subject to change. Source: Solnix dns-sd(8) INTERFACE STABILITY; NetBSD dns-sd(1) DESCRIPTION |
| NetBSD | bug tracking and history | The NetBSD page says bugs are tracked in the Apple Radar component "mDNSResponder" and that dns-sd first appeared in Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger). The Solnix page has no BUGS or HISTORY section. Source: NetBSD dns-sd(1) BUGS, HISTORY; Solnix dns-sd(8) section list |
| NetBSD | scripting warning | Both pages warn that dns-sd is meant for interactive use and is fragile in shell scripts. They say browse never completes, so a script has to terminate the call itself. The pages recommend calling the DNS-SD API through a language binding instead. Source: Solnix dns-sd(8) DESCRIPTION; NetBSD dns-sd(1) DESCRIPTION |
Standards
- POSIX: dns-sd is not a POSIX.1-2024 utility.
- Solnix: Interface Stability: Volatile.
- NetBSD: The page has no STANDARDS section. HISTORY says dns-sd first appeared in Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger).
Writing portable scripts
- Do not parse dns-sd output in scripts: both pages say the arguments and output format can change, and browse never exits on its own. Use the dns_sd.h API or a language binding.
- In
-G, write exactly one of v4, v6 or v4v6 before the name. The synopsis shows v4/v6/v4v6 as the three choices.
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.