boot(8) on Solnix vs Linux and the BSDs
On Solnix, boot(8) documents the boot command and bootstrap process for SPARC (OpenBoot PROM) and x86, ending in a boot archive and /sbin/init. FreeBSD and NetBSD describe their own boot loaders, and the boot flags differ: -D and -a mean different things, and -B and -Z exist only on Solnix.
The manual pages
- Solnix: boot(8) from
pkgs.solnix.illumos-world-man· illumos.org - FreeBSD: boot(8) 15.1-RELEASE
- NetBSD: boot(8) 11.0
What Solnix runs
boot is not a program on PATH. The Solnix page describes the boot command and the bootstrap procedure, not an executable in /usr/bin, /usr/sbin or /sbin. No other variants are shipped. The bundle text of the Solnix page is trimmed, so the boot-flags list is not shown here.
Differences
| Compared with | Topic | What differs |
|---|---|---|
| FreeBSD, NetBSD | what the page covers | Solnix boot(8) covers the boot command on SPARC (OpenBoot PROM) and x86, including network, iSCSI, disk and ZFS booting and the boot archive. FreeBSD covers the boot blocks and hands off to loader(8). NetBSD covers the common boot loader and its prompt. Source: Solnix boot(8) SYNOPSIS, DESCRIPTION; FreeBSD boot(8) DESCRIPTION; NetBSD boot(8) DESCRIPTION |
| FreeBSD, OpenBSD, NetBSD | -B prop=val | On x86, Solnix boot takes -B prop=val[,val...] to pass boot properties. The FreeBSD and NetBSD boot flag lists have no -B. The bundle has no OpenBSD page.Source: Solnix boot(8) SYNOPSIS (x86); FreeBSD boot(8) boot flags; NetBSD boot(8) Options |
| FreeBSD | -D meaning | In the Solnix SPARC synopsis, -D takes a default-file argument. In FreeBSD boot(8), -D has no argument and selects the dual console configuration. NetBSD has no -D.Source: Solnix boot(8) SYNOPSIS (SPARC) -D default-file; FreeBSD boot(8) -D; NetBSD boot(8) Options |
| FreeBSD, NetBSD | -a meaning | FreeBSD -a makes the kernel ask for the root device. NetBSD -a sets RB_ASKNAME, so the kernel also asks for the crash dump device and the path to init(8). Solnix lists -a in the SPARC synopsis, but the shown text does not define it.Source: Solnix boot(8) SYNOPSIS (SPARC) -aLV; FreeBSD boot(8) -a; NetBSD boot(8) -a |
| FreeBSD, NetBSD | root file system selection on ZFS | Solnix boots from a ZFS pool's bootfs dataset by default. -Z dataset picks another bootable dataset in that pool. The shown FreeBSD and NetBSD text has no equivalent option.Source: Solnix boot(8) Booting from ZFS (-Z); FreeBSD boot(8) boot flags; NetBSD boot(8) Options |
| FreeBSD, NetBSD | default kernel and loading path | Solnix loads a boot archive (in-memory file system image) and runs the kernel in it, by default /platform/`uname -i`/kernel/unix. FreeBSD defaults to /boot/loader, then /boot/kernel/kernel. NetBSD tries netbsd, then netbsd.gz, netbsd.old and others.Source: Solnix boot(8) Boot Archive Phase; FreeBSD boot(8) filename, DESCRIPTION; NetBSD boot(8) boot [device:][filename] |
| FreeBSD, NetBSD | init start-up after kernel load | On Solnix the kernel mounts file systems listed in vfstab(5) and runs /sbin/init to the "initdefault" state in /etc/inittab. The shown FreeBSD and NetBSD boot pages do not describe this step.Source: Solnix boot(8) DESCRIPTION (vfstab(5), inittab(5)); FreeBSD boot(8); NetBSD boot(8) |
| FreeBSD, NetBSD | network boot | Solnix boot documents network booting on SPARC with boot net, boot net:rarp and boot net:dhcp, using RARP/bootparams or DHCP and inetboot. The shown FreeBSD and NetBSD boot pages do not document network booting. Source: Solnix boot(8) Network Booting; FreeBSD boot(8); NetBSD boot(8) |
| NetBSD | interactive commands and menu | NetBSD's boot prompt has consdev, dev, help, ls and quit, and may show a menu configured in boot.cfg(5). The shown Solnix text documents none of these. It documents the OpenBoot boot command and, on x86, boot flags with -B.Source: NetBSD boot(8) Menu, Interactive mode; Solnix boot(8) SYNOPSIS |
| NetBSD | argument order | NetBSD ignores a kernel file name given after the boot options and boots the default kernel. The Solnix SPARC synopsis puts [file] before the flags. The Solnix x86 synopsis takes no file. Source: NetBSD boot(8) BUGS; Solnix boot(8) SYNOPSIS |
| FreeBSD, NetBSD | kernel path restriction | Solnix states that the path to the kernel must not contain whitespace. The shown FreeBSD page says symbolic links are not supported for the boot file. The shown NetBSD page states no path restriction. Source: Solnix boot(8) Booting from Disk; FreeBSD boot(8) filename |
| FreeBSD | firmware and iSCSI | FreeBSD sends contemporary UEFI PCs to uefi(8) and describes legacy BIOS boot blocks. Solnix documents iSCSI boot on x86 only, needing iBFT-capable NICs or BIOS. Source: FreeBSD boot(8) DESCRIPTION (uefi(8)); Solnix boot(8) iSCSI Boot |
Standards
- POSIX: boot is not a POSIX.1-2024 utility.
Writing portable scripts
- Do not carry boot flags between systems.
-D,-aand-sare defined differently or not at all on Solnix, FreeBSD and NetBSD; check each system's boot(8). - Do not script boot-time kernel selection with one syntax. Solnix uses
-Zand-B, FreeBSD uses loader(8) and boot.config, and NetBSD takes the file name before its options.
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.