indxbib(1) on Solnix vs Linux and the BSDs
On Solnix, indxbib is the illumos shell script at /usr/bin/indxbib. It builds an inverted index (.ia, .ib and .ic files) for a bibliographic database, for use by lookbib(1) and refer(1). The Linux page text is empty in the bundle, so no comparison with Linux is possible from it.
The manual pages
- Solnix: indxbib(1) from
pkgs.solnix.illumos-world-man· illumos.org - Linux: indxbib(1) groff-1.24.2
What Solnix runs
A default Solnix system runs the illumos indxbib at /usr/bin/indxbib. No other variants are shipped. The page says it is a shell script that calls /usr/lib/refer/mkey and /usr/lib/refer/inv.
Differences
| Compared with | Topic | What differs |
|---|---|---|
| Linux | no Linux text to compare | The Linux (groff 1.24.2) indxbib(1) section in the bundle is empty. Options, output file names, default word-filtering rules and exit status on Linux cannot be compared from it. Check the groff indxbib(1) page directly. Source: Bundle section 'LINUX: indxbib(1)' has no text; Solnix indxbib(1) SYNOPSIS, DESCRIPTION |
| FreeBSD, OpenBSD, NetBSD | no BSD counterpart pages | The bundle has no FreeBSD, OpenBSD or NetBSD indxbib page. Whether those systems ship indxbib, and how it behaves there, is not covered by the bundle. Source: Bundle header lists only the Linux counterpart |
| all four | database must be in the current directory | On Solnix the database-file must reside within the current directory. The BUGS section adds that indxbib does not recognize pathnames. The index files are written to the working directory. Run it from the directory that holds the database. Source: Solnix indxbib(1) DESCRIPTION, BUGS |
| all four | index file names and word filtering | Solnix creates an entry file (.ia), a posting file (.ib) and a tag file (.ic). mkey truncates words to 6 characters and lower-cases them. It drops words shorter than 3 characters, the 100 most common English words, and numbers below 1000 or above 2099. Source: Solnix indxbib(1) DESCRIPTION |
| all four | dates before 1000 or after 2099 are not indexed | The Solnix BUGS section says all dates should probably be indexed, because many disciplines cite literature from the 1800s or earlier. The DESCRIPTION says these mkey parameters can be changed, but the page does not say how. Source: Solnix indxbib(1) BUGS, DESCRIPTION |
Standards
- POSIX: indxbib is not a POSIX.1-2024 utility.
Writing portable scripts
- Run indxbib from the directory that holds the database and pass a bare file name, not a path. The Solnix page says it does not recognize pathnames.
- Do not assume the same word-filtering rules or index file names on other systems. Only the Solnix text is documented in the bundle.
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.