gssd(8) on Solnix vs Linux and the BSDs
On Solnix, gssd is the illumos daemon /usr/lib/gss/gssd. It takes no options and is started by inetd under SMF when kernel RPC first asks for GSS-API services. Linux rpc.gssd and FreeBSD gssd are started as daemons and tuned with command-line flags.
The manual pages
- Solnix: gssd(8) from
pkgs.solnix.illumos-world-man· illumos.org - Linux: gssd(8) nfs-utils-2.9.1
- FreeBSD: gssd(8) 15.1-RELEASE
What Solnix runs
A default Solnix system runs the illumos gssd at /usr/lib/gss/gssd, which is outside /usr/bin, /usr/sbin and /sbin. No other variants are shipped. It is managed as the SMF service svc:/network/rpc/gss:default, so use svcadm(8), svcs(1) and inetadm(8) rather than running it by hand.
Differences
| Compared with | Topic | What differs |
|---|---|---|
| Linux, FreeBSD | options | The Solnix gssd synopsis is only /usr/lib/gss/gssd, with no options. Linux rpc.gssd has -D -f -n -k -p -d -M -v -r -R -t -T -U -H -C. FreeBSD gssd has -d -h -v -s -c -r. Behaviour is changed through SMF and gsscred.conf(5), not flags.Source: Solnix gssd(8) SYNOPSIS; Linux gssd(8) SYNOPSIS, OPTIONS; FreeBSD gssd(8) SYNOPSIS, OPTIONS |
| Linux, FreeBSD | how the daemon is started | On Solnix, inetd(8) starts gssd the first time kernel RPC requests GSS-API services, and inetd is responsible for restarting it. The Linux and FreeBSD pages describe a daemon that you run yourself, and neither mentions inetd. Source: Solnix gssd(8) DESCRIPTION, NOTES; Linux gssd(8) DESCRIPTION; FreeBSD gssd(8) DESCRIPTION |
| Linux, FreeBSD | service management | Solnix gssd is the SMF service svc:/network/rpc/gss:default. Enable, disable and restart it with svcadm(8), change its configuration with inetadm(8), and query it with svcs(1). The Linux and FreeBSD pages name no service manager. Source: Solnix gssd(8) NOTES; Linux gssd(8); FreeBSD gssd(8) |
| Linux | reload and restart behaviour | On Solnix, SIGHUP makes gssd reread gsscred.conf(5). With Kerberos, gssd must be restarted after resolv.conf(5) is added or changed. The visible Linux text documents no signal handling, and its page is cut off in the bundle. Source: Solnix gssd(8) NOTES; Linux gssd(8) OPTIONS (trimmed) |
| Linux, FreeBSD | credential lookup | Solnix gssd maps GSS-API principal names to local user and group ids and puts all of the user's groups in the grouplist credential by default. Linux and FreeBSD describe searching Kerberos credential cache files (Linux -d, default /tmp:/run/user/%U; FreeBSD -s, default /tmp/krb5cc_<uid>). The Solnix page documents no such search path.Source: Solnix gssd(8) DESCRIPTION; Linux gssd(8) -d; FreeBSD gssd(8) -s, -c |
| Linux, FreeBSD | foreground and debug mode | Solnix gssd has no foreground or debug flag. Linux -f runs in the foreground and logs to stderr. FreeBSD -d keeps gssd from forking, and with -v it logs to stderr.Source: Solnix gssd(8) SYNOPSIS; Linux gssd(8) -f; FreeBSD gssd(8) -d, -v |
| Linux | kernel communication | Linux rpc.gssd talks to the kernel through the rpc_pipefs filesystem, default /var/lib/nfs/rpc_pipefs (-p). The Solnix page says only that gssd operates between the kernel RPC and GSS-API, and names no such filesystem.Source: Linux gssd(8) DESCRIPTION, -p; Solnix gssd(8) DESCRIPTION |
| FreeBSD | host-based initiator credentials | FreeBSD -h allows a kerberized NFS mount to use a service principal from the default keytab, enabled by the gssname option of mount_nfs(8). The Solnix page documents no equivalent option.Source: FreeBSD gssd(8) -h; Solnix gssd(8) SYNOPSIS |
| Linux, FreeBSD | exit status | All three systems document the same exit status: 0 on success, greater than 0 on error. Source: Solnix gssd(8) EXIT STATUS; FreeBSD gssd(8) EXIT STATUS; Linux gssd(8) (not visible in the trimmed text) |
| OpenBSD, NetBSD | no counterpart | The bundle has no OpenBSD or NetBSD gssd page, so no comparison is made for them. Source: Bundle header COUNTERPART lines list only linux and freebsd |
Standards
- POSIX: gssd is not a POSIX.1-2024 utility.
- Solnix: Interface Stability: Evolving. The SEE ALSO section cites RFC 2078.
Writing portable scripts
- Do not call gssd directly in cross-platform scripts. Use svcadm on Solnix, and the system's own startup mechanism on Linux and FreeBSD.
- Do not pass flags such as
-f,-dor-sto Solnix gssd: it takes none.
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.