mount(8) on Solnix vs Linux and the BSDs
On Solnix, mount is the illumos mount at /usr/sbin/mount (also /sbin/mount). The same page covers umount. The file system type is chosen with -F, not -t, and boot-time mounts come from /etc/vfstab, not fstab(5). Linux and the BSDs use -t and /etc/fstab.
The manual pages
What Solnix runs
A default Solnix system runs the illumos mount at /usr/sbin/mount and /sbin/mount. No other variants are shipped. The page also documents umount. File-system-specific options are in per-type pages such as mount_ufs(8).
Differences
| Compared with | Topic | What differs |
|---|---|---|
| all four | file system type option | Solnix selects the type with -F FSType, and its synopsis has no -t. Linux, FreeBSD, OpenBSD and NetBSD all use -t type. A script that passes -t to Solnix mount will not match the documented syntax.Source: Solnix mount(8) SYNOPSIS, -F; Linux mount(8) SYNOPSIS (-t fstype); FreeBSD mount(8) SYNOPSIS (-t); OpenBSD mount(8) SYNOPSIS (-t type); NetBSD mount(8) SYNOPSIS (-t type) |
| Linux, FreeBSD | -F meaning | Solnix -F names the file system type. On FreeBSD, -F fstab names the fstab file to use. On Linux, -F is used with -a and makes mount fork so file systems mount in parallel. OpenBSD and NetBSD have no -F.Source: Solnix mount(8) -F; FreeBSD mount(8) -F fstab; Linux mount(8) DESCRIPTION (mount -a ... -F); OpenBSD/NetBSD mount(8) SYNOPSIS |
| all four | table file and mount list | Solnix fills in missing arguments from /etc/vfstab and lists mounts from the mnttab file system, usually on /etc/mnttab. Linux uses /etc/fstab, plus /etc/mtab and /proc/mounts. FreeBSD, OpenBSD and NetBSD use fstab(5).Source: Solnix mount(8) DESCRIPTION (/etc/vfstab, /etc/mnttab); Linux mount(8) 'The files /etc/fstab, /etc/mtab and /proc/mounts'; FreeBSD/OpenBSD/NetBSD mount(8) DESCRIPTION (fstab(5)) |
| all four | mount -a selection | Solnix mount -a mounts the vfstab entries whose 'mount at boot' field is yes, in parallel where possible. Linux and FreeBSD mount fstab entries except those marked noauto. FreeBSD also skips 'late' ones unless -l is given. OpenBSD and NetBSD have -A and -a.Source: Solnix mount(8) -a; Linux mount(8) mount -a ... noauto; FreeBSD mount(8) -a, -l; OpenBSD mount(8) -A, -a; NetBSD mount(8) -A, -a |
| FreeBSD, OpenBSD, NetBSD | dry run | Solnix has no -d. FreeBSD, OpenBSD and NetBSD -d does everything except the actual mount call, and is meant to be used with -v. On Solnix, -V echoes the full command line without running it.Source: Solnix mount(8) -V; FreeBSD mount(8) -d; OpenBSD mount(8) -d; NetBSD mount(8) -d |
| all four | -v and -p listing options | On Solnix, -v prints a verbose mount list and -p prints it in /etc/vfstab format. Each must be the only option given. The Linux and BSD synopses accept -v together with other flags. The bundle does not describe a Solnix equivalent of those combinations.Source: Solnix mount(8) -p, -v; Linux mount(8) SYNOPSIS (-fnrsvw); FreeBSD/OpenBSD/NetBSD mount(8) SYNOPSIS |
| all four | read-only, read-write, update | The Solnix synopsis has no -r, -w or -u. Read-only or read-write is set with -o ro or -o rw (default rw). The Linux and BSD synopses list -r and -w, and the BSDs also list -u to update an already mounted file system.Source: Solnix mount(8) SYNOPSIS, -o ro | rw; Linux mount(8) SYNOPSIS; FreeBSD/OpenBSD/NetBSD mount(8) SYNOPSIS (-u, -w) |
| OpenBSD, NetBSD | device option name | Solnix spells the device option devices|nodevices (default devices). OpenBSD and NetBSD use nodev. Solnix says nosuid implies nosetuid and nodevices. OpenBSD describes nosuid only as disabling set-user-ID and set-group-ID bits. Source: Solnix mount(8) -o devices|nodevices, suid|nosuid; OpenBSD mount(8) -o nodev, nosuid; NetBSD mount(8) -o nodev |
| all four | vfstab options ignored with -o | On Solnix, using -o on a file system that has a /etc/vfstab entry makes mount ignore that entry's options. FreeBSD instead has -o current and -o fstab, used with -u, to pick which option set to reuse.Source: Solnix mount(8) generic_options -o; FreeBSD mount(8) -o current, -o fstab |
| Linux | bind and loopback mounts | The Solnix synopsis has no --bind, --rbind or --move. A file given as special is mounted directly where the type supports it, with nosuid enforced. Otherwise use lofiadm(8). The Solnix -o loop is ignored for compatibility.Source: Solnix mount(8) DESCRIPTION (lofiadm(8)), -o loop; Linux mount(8) SYNOPSIS (--bind|--rbind|--move) |
| Linux, OpenBSD, NetBSD | who may mount | On Solnix, mounting and unmounting needs at least PRIV_SYS_MOUNT, and any user may list mounts. OpenBSD says only the superuser may mount. NetBSD policy follows the running security model and may allow unprivileged mounts. Linux needs root by default. Source: Solnix mount(8) DESCRIPTION; OpenBSD mount(8) DESCRIPTION; NetBSD mount(8) secmodel_suser(9); Linux mount(8) DESCRIPTION (root permissions) |
| all four | default type when none given | With only one argument and no vfstab entry, Solnix uses /etc/default/fs when special starts with /. Otherwise it uses the first entry in /etc/dfs/fstypes. NetBSD may read the disk label and infers nfs from ':' or '@'. Linux says mount usually detects the file system.Source: Solnix mount(8) DESCRIPTION; NetBSD mount(8) DESCRIPTION; Linux mount(8) DESCRIPTION |
Standards
- POSIX: mount is not a POSIX.1-2024 utility.
Writing portable scripts
- Do not hard-code
-tor-F. Choose the type flag by OS:-Fon Solnix,-ton Linux and the BSDs. - Keep one boot mount table per OS:
/etc/vfstabon Solnix,/etc/fstabelsewhere. Do not assume their field layouts match. - Use only
-ooptions listed in every page, such as ro and rw. Spellings differ: Solnix nodevices vs BSD nodev.
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.