sulogin(8) on Solnix vs Linux and the BSDs
On Solnix, sulogin is the illumos sulogin at /sbin/sulogin. init starts it at boot, and the user needs the solaris.system.maintenance authorization to enter single-user mode. The Solnix page documents no options, unlike Linux sulogin, which takes -e, -p, -t and a TTY argument.
The manual pages
- Solnix: sulogin(8) from
pkgs.solnix.illumos-world-man· illumos.org - Linux: sulogin(8) sysvinit-3.04
What Solnix runs
A default Solnix system runs the illumos sulogin at /sbin/sulogin. No other variants are shipped. The page says the user should never invoke sulogin directly. The only counterpart page in the bundle is Linux (sysvinit); the bundle has no FreeBSD, OpenBSD or NetBSD sulogin page.
Differences
| Compared with | Topic | What differs |
|---|---|---|
| Linux | options and arguments | Solnix sulogin takes no options or arguments. Linux sulogin accepts -e, -p, -t SECONDS and an optional TTY argument.Source: Solnix sulogin(8) SYNOPSIS; Linux sulogin(8) SYNOPSIS |
| Linux | who may enter single-user mode | Solnix requires the solaris.system.maintenance authorization, and root has all authorizations by default. The Linux page prompts for the root password and mentions no authorization. Source: Solnix sulogin(8) DESCRIPTION, NOTES; Linux sulogin(8) DESCRIPTION |
| Linux | prompt: user name or root password | Solnix sulogin prompts for a user name and password. Linux prompts only with "Give root password for system maintenance". Source: Solnix sulogin(8) DESCRIPTION; Linux sulogin(8) DESCRIPTION |
| Linux | choosing the shell | Linux sulogin reads SUSHELL or sushell, then root's shell from /etc/passwd, then /bin/sh. The Solnix page documents no environment variables and does not say how the shell is chosen.Source: Linux sulogin(8) ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES; Solnix sulogin(8) (no such section) |
| Linux | login shell and timeout | Linux -p starts the shell as a login shell, and -t limits how long it waits for input. The Solnix page documents neither behaviour.Source: Linux sulogin(8) -p, -t; Solnix sulogin(8) SYNOPSIS |
| Linux | console devices | Solnix sulogin can prompt on several serial console devices as well as the console. These are configured with consadm(8) and msglog(4D). Linux uses the current terminal or one TTY given on the command line. Source: Solnix sulogin(8) DESCRIPTION; Linux sulogin(8) DESCRIPTION |
| Linux | how init starts it | Linux init runs sulogin for single-user mode via an inittab(5) entry, and when the boot loader passes -b. Solnix init runs it automatically at first system start. The Solnix page mentions no inittab or -b.Source: Linux sulogin(8) DESCRIPTION; Solnix sulogin(8) DESCRIPTION |
| Linux | Console User rights profile | On Solnix, granting solaris.system.maintenance through the Console User Rights Profile may give the currently logged-in user maintenance-mode access. Grant it directly to chosen users instead. Source: Solnix sulogin(8) NOTES |
Standards
- POSIX: sulogin is not a POSIX.1-2024 utility.
Writing portable scripts
- Do not call sulogin from scripts or pass it options. On Solnix it takes none and is meant to be started by init.
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.