pm-gawk(1) on Solnix vs Linux and the BSDs
pm-gawk(1) on Solnix documents gawk's persistent-memory feature, which is switched on by the GAWK_PERSIST_FILE environment variable. It is not in the base system: install pkgs.solnix.gawk. The Solnix and Linux pages are the same text apart from one Linux-only caveat about version-mismatch warnings.
The manual pages
- Solnix: pm-gawk(1) from
pkgs.solnix.gawk - Linux: pm-gawk(1) gawk-5.4.1
What Solnix runs
Not installed by default: add pkgs.solnix.gawk. The bundle shows no illumos variant of this page and no BSD counterpart pages.
Differences
| Compared with | Topic | What differs |
|---|---|---|
| Linux | same feature and same page | The Solnix and Linux pages have the same SYNOPSIS, DESCRIPTION and ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES. Both use GAWK_PERSIST_FILE with an initially empty heap file made by truncate -s. Both say the feature needs Gawk 5.2 or later.Source: Solnix pm-gawk(1) SYNOPSIS, DESCRIPTION, ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES; Linux pm-gawk(1) (gawk-5.4.1) same sections |
| Linux | version-mismatch warning | The Linux page says pm-gawk warns when the running gawk version differs from the one that first used the backing file. The Solnix page does not say this, so the manual does not document that warning on Solnix. Source: Linux pm-gawk(1) CAVEATS (last paragraph); Solnix pm-gawk(1) CAVEATS |
| Linux | CIFS caveat | Both pages warn against putting the backing file on a GNU/Linux CIFS filesystem. The Solnix page does not say whether other filesystems on Solnix have problems. Source: Solnix pm-gawk(1) CAVEATS; Linux pm-gawk(1) CAVEATS |
| FreeBSD, OpenBSD, NetBSD | no BSD counterpart page | No FreeBSD, OpenBSD or NetBSD pm-gawk(1) page is in the bundle. The manual does not say whether those systems support GAWK_PERSIST_FILE. Source: Bundle header lists only a Linux counterpart |
| Linux | not in the base system | A default Solnix system has no pm-gawk command on PATH. pm-gawk is not a program: it is a gawk feature, so you need gawk from pkgs.solnix.gawk. The Linux page is gawk-5.4.1; the Solnix page does not state its gawk version. Source: Bundle header (none: install pkgs.solnix.gawk; Linux gawk-5.4.1); Solnix pm-gawk(1) DESCRIPTION |
Standards
- POSIX: pm-gawk is not a POSIX.1-2024 utility.
Writing portable scripts
- Treat GAWK_PERSIST_FILE as gawk-only (Gawk 5.2 or later). Other awk implementations will not use it, so do not rely on persisted variables in portable scripts.
- Check the gawk version before relying on an existing heap file. The Linux page says gawk warns on a version mismatch with the file's first user.
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.