mdnsd(8) on Solnix vs Linux and the BSDs
mdnsd is the Multicast DNS and DNS Service Discovery daemon. On Solnix it is the illumos build, run under SMF as svc:/network/dns/multicast:default. The Solnix page documents no logging signals; the NetBSD page documents SIGUSR1, SIGUSR2 and SIGINFO.
The manual pages
- Solnix: mdnsd(8) from
pkgs.solnix.illumos-world-man· illumos.org - NetBSD: mdnsd(8) 11.0
What Solnix runs
A default Solnix system runs the illumos mdnsd, published by pkgs.solnix.illumos-world-man. It is a daemon under /usr/lib, not in /usr/bin, /usr/sbin or /sbin, and no other variants are shipped. Manage it with svcadm(8) and query it with svcs(1) using svc:/network/dns/multicast:default. The page does not say where the binary lives under /usr/lib.
Differences
| Compared with | Topic | What differs |
|---|---|---|
| NetBSD | service management | On Solnix, mdnsd is an SMF service, svc:/network/dns/multicast:default, managed with svcadm(8) and queried with svcs(1). The NetBSD page names no service mechanism and says only that the daemon is invoked at boot time. Source: Solnix mdnsd(8) NOTES; NetBSD mdnsd(8) DESCRIPTION |
| NetBSD | logging and debugging signals | The NetBSD page has a LOGGING section: SIGUSR1 toggles extra logging, SIGUSR2 toggles packet logging, and SIGINFO dumps internal state. By default only the Error level is logged. The Solnix page documents none of this, so do not assume these signals behave the same on Solnix. Source: NetBSD mdnsd(8) LOGGING; Solnix mdnsd(8) (no LOGGING section) |
| NetBSD | state dump location | NetBSD documents that SIGINFO writes a state summary to /var/log/system.log. The Solnix page names no log file or dump location.Source: NetBSD mdnsd(8) LOGGING; Solnix mdnsd(8) |
| NetBSD | unicast resolver role | The NetBSD page says that on Mac OS X 10.6 mdnsd is also the system-wide Unicast DNS Resolver. The Solnix page omits this and says only that mdnsd performs unicast and multicast queries on behalf of client processes. Source: NetBSD mdnsd(8) DESCRIPTION; Solnix mdnsd(8) DESCRIPTION |
| NetBSD | interface stability | The Solnix page marks the interface Volatile, so it may change between releases. The NetBSD page gives no stability statement. Source: Solnix mdnsd(8) INTERFACE STABILITY; NetBSD mdnsd(8) |
| Linux, FreeBSD, OpenBSD | no counterpart page | The bundle has no mdnsd page for Linux, FreeBSD or OpenBSD, so the manual cannot be used to compare behaviour on those systems. Source: Bundle header (only a NetBSD counterpart listed) |
| NetBSD | command line and client tool | Both pages say mdnsd takes no user-specifiable arguments and must not be run manually. The client tool is dns-sd(8) on Solnix and dns-sd(1) on NetBSD. Source: Solnix mdnsd(8) SYNOPSIS, SEE ALSO; NetBSD mdnsd(8) SYNOPSIS, SEE ALSO |
Standards
- POSIX: mdnsd is not a POSIX.1-2024 utility.
- Solnix: Interface Stability: Volatile.
Writing portable scripts
- Do not start mdnsd by hand or pass it options; both manuals say it takes no arguments. On Solnix, use svcadm enable or disable on svc:/network/dns/multicast:default, and check state with svcs.
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.