quota(8) on Solnix vs Linux and the BSDs
On Solnix, quota is the illumos quota at /usr/sbin/quota, documented in section 8. It takes only -v and an optional username, and it covers UFS and ZFS. Linux and the BSDs have -u, -g, -q and more. By default Solnix prints only file systems where usage is over quota.
The manual pages
What Solnix runs
A default Solnix system runs the illumos quota at /usr/sbin/quota. /usr/ucb/quota is also shipped, but the bundle does not describe it. The Solnix page is quota(8). The counterparts are quota(1).
Differences
| Compared with | Topic | What differs |
|---|---|---|
| all four | default output | Solnix quota with no options prints only warnings about mounted file systems where usage is over quota. Linux, FreeBSD, OpenBSD and NetBSD print the user's quotas by default, and -q is the option that limits output to over-quota file systems.Source: Solnix quota(8) DESCRIPTION; Linux quota(1) -q; FreeBSD quota(1) -q; OpenBSD quota(1) -q; NetBSD quota(1) -q |
| all four | -v meaning | Solnix -v shows the user's quota on all mounted file systems where quotas exist. On Linux, FreeBSD, OpenBSD and NetBSD, -v shows quotas on file systems where no storage is allocated. Those four systems also show quotas without -v.Source: Solnix quota(8) -v; Linux quota(1) -v; FreeBSD quota(1) -v; OpenBSD quota(1) -v; NetBSD quota(1) -v |
| all four | missing -u, -g, -q | The Solnix synopsis is quota [-v] [username]. It has no -u, -g or -q. A script that passes these flags needs changing. The Solnix page documents no way to print group quotas.Source: Solnix quota(8) SYNOPSIS, OPTIONS; Linux quota(1) -u, -g, -q; FreeBSD quota(1) -u, -g, -q; OpenBSD quota(1) -u, -g, -q; NetBSD quota(1) -u, -g, -q |
| all four | how to name another user | Solnix takes a bare username argument, which can be a numeric UID, and only the super-user may use it. Linux, FreeBSD and NetBSD pair the user argument with -u. OpenBSD uses -u user. Linux has --always-resolve to force digit-only names to be looked up as names.Source: Solnix quota(8) DESCRIPTION; Linux quota(1) SYNOPSIS, --always-resolve; FreeBSD quota(1) SYNOPSIS; OpenBSD quota(1) SYNOPSIS; NetBSD quota(1) SYNOPSIS |
| Linux, FreeBSD, NetBSD | human-readable output | Solnix quota has no human-readable option. Linux has -s, FreeBSD has -h, and NetBSD has -h. OpenBSD has none either. The Solnix page does not say what units it uses.Source: Solnix quota(8) SYNOPSIS; Linux quota(1) -s; FreeBSD quota(1) -h; NetBSD quota(1) -h; OpenBSD quota(1) SYNOPSIS |
| Linux, FreeBSD | limiting to NFS, local or one file system | Solnix has no option to select file systems. Linux has -l, -f and --filesystem, and FreeBSD has -l and -f path. Solnix quota shows NFS-mounted UFS or ZFS quotas if rquotad is running, and ignores remote file systems without quotas.Source: Solnix quota(8) DESCRIPTION, NOTES; Linux quota(1) -l, -f, --filesystem; FreeBSD quota(1) -l, -f |
| all four | file system types | The Solnix page names UFS and ZFS. FreeBSD names UFS (quotas on in /etc/fstab). OpenBSD names FFS (quotas on in /etc/fstab). Linux lists format names such as vfsold, vfsv0, vfsv1, rpc and xfs. The NetBSD page does not name a type. The Solnix page mentions no fstab setting.Source: Solnix quota(8) NAME; FreeBSD quota(1) DESCRIPTION; OpenBSD quota(1) DESCRIPTION; Linux quota(1) -F |
| FreeBSD, OpenBSD, NetBSD | exit status | FreeBSD, OpenBSD and NetBSD document a non-zero exit when one or more file systems are over quota. FreeBSD also exits non-zero when the -f path does not exist. The Solnix page has no exit status section.Source: FreeBSD quota(1) DESCRIPTION; OpenBSD quota(1) EXIT STATUS; NetBSD quota(1) DESCRIPTION; Solnix quota(8) |
| all four | duplicate lines and zones | Solnix quota can show the same file system several times, once per mount point, and in a zone shows only that zone's quotas. The other pages do not document either behaviour. Source: Solnix quota(8) NOTES; Linux quota(1); FreeBSD quota(1); OpenBSD quota(1); NetBSD quota(1) |
| Linux, NetBSD | script-friendly output and extra features | Linux has -p (grace time as epoch seconds) and -w (no line wrapping), both noted as useful for scripts. Linux also has -P for project quotas. NetBSD has -d for default quotas. Solnix has none of these.Source: Linux quota(1) -p, -w, -P; NetBSD quota(1) -d; Solnix quota(8) SYNOPSIS |
Standards
- POSIX: quota is not a POSIX.1-2024 utility.
Writing portable scripts
- Use only quota with no flags, or a bare username as root, if a script must run everywhere. Solnix takes no
-uor-g, and its default output lists only over-quota file systems. - Do not parse quota output across systems. Solnix can repeat a file system once per mount point, and units and columns differ between the pages.
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.