rpc.sprayd(8) on Solnix vs Linux and the BSDs
rpc.sprayd is the spray server. On Solnix it is the illumos daemon at /usr/lib/netsvc/spray/rpc.sprayd, managed by SMF and started through inetd. FreeBSD and NetBSD put it at /usr/libexec/rpc.sprayd and describe it as normally invoked by inetd(8).
The manual pages
- Solnix: rpc.sprayd(8) from
pkgs.solnix.illumos-world-man· illumos.org - FreeBSD: rpc.sprayd(8) 15.1-RELEASE
- NetBSD: rpc.sprayd(8) 11.0
What Solnix runs
A default Solnix system runs the illumos rpc.sprayd at /usr/lib/netsvc/spray/rpc.sprayd. It is not in /usr/bin, /usr/sbin or /sbin. No other variants are shipped. The page is published by pkgs.solnix.illumos-world-man.
Differences
| Compared with | Topic | What differs |
|---|---|---|
| FreeBSD, NetBSD | daemon path | Solnix installs rpc.sprayd at /usr/lib/netsvc/spray/rpc.sprayd. FreeBSD and NetBSD install it at /usr/libexec/rpc.sprayd. Hard-coded paths in inetd configuration will not carry over.Source: Solnix rpc.sprayd(8) SYNOPSIS; FreeBSD rpc.sprayd(8) SYNOPSIS; NetBSD rpc.sprayd(8) SYNOPSIS |
| FreeBSD, NetBSD | service management | On Solnix the service is an SMF service, svc:/network/rpc/spray:default. Enable, disable and restart it with svcadm(8), change its configuration with inetadm(8), and query it with svcs(1). The FreeBSD and NetBSD pages describe no such tools. Source: Solnix rpc.sprayd(8) NOTES; FreeBSD rpc.sprayd(8) DESCRIPTION; NetBSD rpc.sprayd(8) DESCRIPTION |
| FreeBSD, NetBSD | how it is started | Solnix says inetd(8) or listen(8) may start rpc.sprayd, and that SMF delegates starting and restarting to inetd. FreeBSD and NetBSD say only that inetd(8) normally invokes it, and do not mention listen(8). Source: Solnix rpc.sprayd(8) DESCRIPTION, NOTES; FreeBSD rpc.sprayd(8) DESCRIPTION; NetBSD rpc.sprayd(8) DESCRIPTION |
| FreeBSD, NetBSD | traffic report | FreeBSD and NetBSD say rpc.sprayd sends a traffic report to the originator of the packets. The Solnix page says only that it records the packets sent by spray(8). Source: Solnix rpc.sprayd(8) DESCRIPTION; FreeBSD rpc.sprayd(8) DESCRIPTION; NetBSD rpc.sprayd(8) DESCRIPTION |
| FreeBSD, NetBSD | benchmark caveat | The Solnix page warns that the service is not useful as a networking benchmark. It uses unreliable connectionless transports such as udp, and can report many dropped packets caused by the sender outrunning local buffering. The FreeBSD and NetBSD pages have no such warning. Source: Solnix rpc.sprayd(8) DESCRIPTION; FreeBSD rpc.sprayd(8); NetBSD rpc.sprayd(8) |
| FreeBSD, NetBSD | RPC protocol definition | FreeBSD and NetBSD name /usr/include/rpcsvc/spray.x as the RPC protocol definition. The Solnix page does not name a protocol file.Source: FreeBSD rpc.sprayd(8) DESCRIPTION; NetBSD rpc.sprayd(8) DESCRIPTION; Solnix rpc.sprayd(8) |
| Linux | no Linux counterpart | The bundle includes no Linux page for rpc.sprayd, so nothing can be said about it on Linux. OpenBSD has no counterpart page in the bundle either. Source: Bundle header: counterparts are FreeBSD 15.1 and NetBSD 11.0 only |
Standards
- POSIX: rpc.sprayd is not a POSIX.1-2024 utility.
Writing portable scripts
- Do not hard-code the daemon path in inetd setups: it is
/usr/lib/netsvc/spray/rpc.spraydon Solnix and/usr/libexec/rpc.spraydon FreeBSD and NetBSD. On Solnix, use svcadm and inetadm for the svc:/network/rpc/spray:default service.
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.