reboot(8) on Solnix vs Linux and the BSDs
On Solnix, reboot is the illumos /usr/sbin/reboot. It restarts the kernel directly and does not run the shutdown scripts. Single-letter flags differ from Linux and the BSDs: -d forces a crash dump (on Linux it suppresses the wtmp record), -f is an x86 fast reboot, and -p reboots through firmware instead of powering off.
The manual pages
What Solnix runs
A default Solnix system runs the illumos reboot at /usr/sbin/reboot. No other variants are shipped. The page recommends shutdown(8) or init(8) first, because reboot does not run the shutdown scripts. halt(8) is a separate page, not covered here.
Differences
| Compared with | Topic | What differs |
|---|---|---|
| all four | -d meaning | Solnix -d forces a crash dump before rebooting. FreeBSD, OpenBSD and NetBSD -d also create a dump. On Linux, -d means 'don't write the wtmp record', so a Linux script using -d gets a dump on Solnix.Source: Solnix reboot(8) -d; FreeBSD reboot(8) -d; OpenBSD reboot(8) -d; NetBSD reboot(8) -d; Linux reboot(8) -d |
| Linux, FreeBSD | -f meaning | Solnix -f is a fast reboot that bypasses firmware and boot loader (x86 only). Linux -f forces the reboot without calling shutdown(8). FreeBSD -f skips the checks for the next kernel and /var/run/noshutdown. OpenBSD and NetBSD have no -f.Source: Solnix reboot(8) -f; Linux reboot(8) -f; FreeBSD reboot(8) -f; OpenBSD reboot(8) SYNOPSIS; NetBSD reboot(8) SYNOPSIS |
| Linux | whether reboot calls shutdown | On Linux, reboot invokes shutdown(8) when the system is not in runlevel 0 or 6. The Solnix page documents no such hand-off. It says reboot syncs the disks, starts a multi-user reboot, and does not run /etc/rcnum.d scripts or inittab shutdown actions.Source: Linux reboot(8) DESCRIPTION, NOTES; Solnix reboot(8) DESCRIPTION, NOTES |
| FreeBSD, OpenBSD, NetBSD | shutdown scripts and process termination | OpenBSD reboot runs the rc.d(8) scripts listed in pkg_scripts and the shutdown script. FreeBSD, OpenBSD and NetBSD send SIGTERM then SIGKILL to processes. Solnix reboot runs no shutdown scripts, and its page does not describe signalling. NetBSD also warns that it skips shutdown(8) scripts. Source: OpenBSD reboot(8) DESCRIPTION; FreeBSD reboot(8) DESCRIPTION; NetBSD reboot(8) DESCRIPTION, CAVEATS; Solnix reboot(8) NOTES |
| all four | -p meaning | Solnix reboot -p reboots to the PROM through firmware (x86 only, mutually exclusive with -f). On FreeBSD, -p powers the system off. NetBSD -p is valid only for halt, and OpenBSD's reboot synopsis has no -p. On Linux, -p switches off power when halting.Source: Solnix reboot(8) -p; FreeBSD reboot(8) -p; NetBSD reboot(8) -p; OpenBSD reboot(8) SYNOPSIS; Linux reboot(8) -p |
| FreeBSD | -e meaning | Solnix -e names a boot environment and works only together with -f. FreeBSD -e variable=value sets a variable in the loader's and kernel's environment for the next boot.Source: Solnix reboot(8) -e; FreeBSD reboot(8) -e |
| all four | default reboot mode via SMF | On Solnix, setting config/fastreboot_default to true on svc:/system/boot-config:default makes plain reboot behave as reboot -f. Change it with svccfg(8) and svcadm(8). The other pages describe no such property.Source: Solnix reboot(8) -f; Linux, FreeBSD, OpenBSD and NetBSD reboot(8) OPTIONS |
| FreeBSD, NetBSD | boot arguments | Solnix takes boot_arguments as operands, passed to uadmin(2). Arguments starting with a hyphen need -- first. NetBSD passes operands, joined by spaces, as bootstr to reboot(2). FreeBSD uses -o options and -k kernel instead.Source: Solnix reboot(8) OPERANDS; NetBSD reboot(8) DESCRIPTION; FreeBSD reboot(8) -o, -k |
| Linux | -n and accounting records | Solnix -n skips sync(2) and does not log to syslogd or /var/adm/wtmpx, though the kernel still tries to sync unless -d is also given. Linux -n skips sync and implies -d. Linux records go to /var/log/wtmp.Source: Solnix reboot(8) -n, DESCRIPTION; Linux reboot(8) -n, DESCRIPTION |
| Linux, OpenBSD | -l and -q availability | Solnix, FreeBSD and NetBSD accept -l to suppress the syslog message, and OpenBSD and Linux do not list it for reboot. Solnix, FreeBSD, OpenBSD and NetBSD accept -q for a quick, ungraceful reboot. Linux has no -q.Source: Solnix reboot(8) -l, -q; FreeBSD reboot(8) -l, -q; NetBSD reboot(8) -l, -q; OpenBSD reboot(8) SYNOPSIS; Linux reboot(8) SYNOPSIS |
| Linux, FreeBSD, NetBSD | options Solnix lacks | Solnix has none of these: Linux -w, -i and -h; FreeBSD -c, -D, -k, -N, -o and -r; NetBSD -v, -x and -z. Scripts using them will fail on Solnix.Source: Solnix reboot(8) SYNOPSIS; Linux reboot(8) OPTIONS; FreeBSD reboot(8) OPTIONS; NetBSD reboot(8) OPTIONS |
Standards
- POSIX: reboot is not a POSIX.1-2024 utility.
Writing portable scripts
- Use plain reboot with no flags, or better shutdown(8), which every page recommends.
-d,-f,-n,-pand-emean different things across Solnix, Linux and the BSDs. - Do not rely on reboot to stop services cleanly on Solnix or NetBSD. Both pages say it skips the shutdown scripts.
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.