Man pages › Compared with Linux and the BSDs

`getty(8)` on Solnix vs Linux and the BSDs

On Solnix, getty is a symbolic link to /usr/lib/saf/ttymon, kept only for old applications that still call it. It is not the BSD getty: the arguments are line, speed, type and linedisc, and it reads /etc/ttydefs, not gettytab(5).

The manual pages

Solnix: getty(8) from pkgs.solnix.illumos-world-man · illumos.org
FreeBSD: getty(8) 15.1-RELEASE
OpenBSD: getty(8) 8.0
NetBSD: getty(8) 11.0

What Solnix runs

A default Solnix system runs the illumos getty, which is not in /usr/bin, /usr/sbin or /sbin. It is a symbolic link to /usr/lib/saf/ttymon. No other variants are shipped. The page says the -c option is no longer supported. Use /usr/sbin/sttydefs -l to list and validity-check /etc/ttydefs.

Differences

Compared with	Topic	What differs
FreeBSD, OpenBSD, NetBSD	argument order and meaning	Solnix getty is invoked as `[`-h`] [`-t` timeout] line [speed [type [linedisc]]]`. The line comes first, and speed is a label in `/etc/ttydefs.` The BSDs take `getty [type [tty]]`, where type is a gettytab(5) entry and tty comes second. Source: Solnix getty(8) SYNOPSIS, OPERANDS; FreeBSD/OpenBSD/NetBSD getty(8) SYNOPSIS
FreeBSD, OpenBSD, NetBSD	configuration database	Solnix getty takes line speed and TTY settings from `/etc/ttydefs`, which sttydefs(8) can list and check. The BSD pages use the gettytab(5) database (`/etc/gettytab`), or built-in system defaults if that file is absent. Source: Solnix getty(8) DESCRIPTION, OPERANDS (speed), -c; FreeBSD/OpenBSD/NetBSD getty(8) DESCRIPTION
FreeBSD, OpenBSD, NetBSD	options	Solnix getty has `-h`, `-t` timeout and `-c` file. The BSD getty pages document no options. BSD getty timeout is set by a gettytab table, not a command-line flag. Source: Solnix getty(8) OPTIONS; FreeBSD/OpenBSD/NetBSD getty(8) SYNOPSIS, DESCRIPTION
FreeBSD, OpenBSD, NetBSD	`-c` no longer works	Solnix `-c` file is no longer supported. To list and validity-check `/etc/ttydefs`, run `/usr/sbin/sttydefs` `-l`. The BSD pages have no `-c` option. Source: Solnix getty(8) -c; FreeBSD/OpenBSD/NetBSD getty(8) SYNOPSIS
FreeBSD, OpenBSD, NetBSD	default speed and BREAK handling	With no arguments, Solnix getty sets 300 baud. A null character or framing error is taken as BREAK, and getty tries the next speed in the `/etc/ttydefs` series. The BSD pages document neither the default speed nor BREAK cycling. Source: Solnix getty(8) DESCRIPTION; FreeBSD/OpenBSD/NetBSD getty(8) DESCRIPTION
FreeBSD, OpenBSD, NetBSD	hangup behaviour	Unless `-h` is given, Solnix getty forces a hangup by setting the speed to zero before setting the real speed. The BSD pages do not describe this. Source: Solnix getty(8) -h; FreeBSD/OpenBSD/NetBSD getty(8) DESCRIPTION
FreeBSD, OpenBSD, NetBSD	idle timeout	Solnix `-t` timeout makes getty exit if the open succeeds and nothing is typed within timeout seconds. The BSD pages say only that getty can be set to time out, and do not name a flag. Source: Solnix getty(8) -t; FreeBSD/OpenBSD/NetBSD getty(8) DESCRIPTION (last paragraph)
FreeBSD, OpenBSD, NetBSD	caller and tty handling	The BSD pages say init(8) calls getty, and that a missing tty argument or '-' means the line is already open as file descriptor 0. The Solnix page says it is kept for applications that still call it directly, and requires the line name as an operand. It says only root can run it. Source: Solnix getty(8) DESCRIPTION, OPERANDS (line); FreeBSD/OpenBSD/NetBSD getty(8) DESCRIPTION
FreeBSD, OpenBSD, NetBSD	type and linedisc ignored	On Solnix the type and linedisc arguments are obsolete and ignored. On the BSDs, type is a live index into gettytab(5) that changes how the line is treated. Source: Solnix getty(8) OPERANDS (type and linedisc); FreeBSD/OpenBSD/NetBSD getty(8) DESCRIPTION
NetBSD	PPP and ttyaction	NetBSD getty can recognise PPP negotiation and run the program named by the gettytab pp attribute instead of login(1). It also runs site commands through ttyaction(3). The Solnix page documents neither. Source: NetBSD getty(8) DESCRIPTION; Solnix getty(8) DESCRIPTION

Standards

POSIX: getty is not a POSIX.1-2024 utility.
Solnix: The Solnix page lists attributes(7) under SEE ALSO, but the bundle text has no ATTRIBUTES or Interface Stability section.

Writing portable scripts

Do not call getty directly in portable scripts. The arguments differ: line first on Solnix, type then tty on the BSDs. Terminal-line setup belongs in the init or login configuration of each system.
Do not rely on gettytab(5) entries on Solnix. Line speeds are labels in /etc/ttydefs there.

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.