Man pages › Compared with Linux and the BSDs

`yppasswd(1)` on Solnix vs Linux and the BSDs

On Solnix, yppasswd is the illumos /usr/bin/yppasswd, which changes a user's NIS password and takes only an optional username. Its page says it is a discouraged wrapper around passwd(1); use passwd -r nis instead. FreeBSD's yppasswd is a link to passwd with extra NIS options.

The manual pages

Solnix: yppasswd(1) from pkgs.solnix.illumos-world-man · illumos.org
FreeBSD: yppasswd(1) 15.1-RELEASE
NetBSD: yppasswd(1) 11.0

What Solnix runs

A default Solnix system runs the illumos yppasswd at /usr/bin/yppasswd. No other variants are shipped. The page recommends passwd(1) with the -r nis option instead.

Differences

Compared with	Topic	What differs
FreeBSD	what the command is	Solnix yppasswd is a wrapper around passwd(1) that changes only the NIS password. On FreeBSD, yppasswd is a link to passwd, which changes the local, Kerberos or NIS password. Source: Solnix yppasswd(1) NOTES; FreeBSD yppasswd(1) DESCRIPTION, NOTES
FreeBSD	options	Solnix yppasswd takes only an optional username and has no options. FreeBSD yppasswd accepts `-l`, `-y`, `-d` domain, `-h` host and `-o`, and takes no username argument in its synopsis. Source: Solnix yppasswd(1) SYNOPSIS; FreeBSD yppasswd(1) SYNOPSIS
FreeBSD	username argument	A script that runs yppasswd username works on Solnix. The FreeBSD yppasswd synopsis has no user argument; only the passwd form shows [user]. Source: Solnix yppasswd(1) SYNOPSIS; FreeBSD yppasswd(1) SYNOPSIS
FreeBSD, NetBSD	recommended replacement	Solnix says to use passwd(1) with `-r` nis, which works across all name services. NetBSD only says yppasswd is deprecated and points to passwd(1). The FreeBSD page does not mention a `-r` option. Source: Solnix yppasswd(1) NOTES; NetBSD yppasswd(1) DESCRIPTION; FreeBSD yppasswd(1) OPTIONS
FreeBSD, NetBSD	server daemon	The Solnix page says rpc.yppasswdd must be running on the NIS server for the change to take effect. The FreeBSD and NetBSD pages do not mention this daemon. Source: Solnix yppasswd(1) DESCRIPTION; FreeBSD yppasswd(1); NetBSD yppasswd(1)
FreeBSD, NetBSD	secret key re-encryption	If the user has run keylogin(1) and a publickey/secretkey pair exists in the NIS publickey.byname map, Solnix yppasswd re-encrypts the secretkey with the new password. The FreeBSD and NetBSD pages do not say this. Source: Solnix yppasswd(1) DESCRIPTION; FreeBSD yppasswd(1); NetBSD yppasswd(1)
FreeBSD	password length rules	Solnix requires at least four characters, or six if monocase, and these rules can be relaxed. Root on the NIS master skips the old-password prompt and the construction rules. FreeBSD only says the length must be below _PASSWORD_LEN (128). Source: Solnix yppasswd(1) DESCRIPTION; FreeBSD yppasswd(1) DESCRIPTION
FreeBSD, NetBSD	wrong old password	Solnix documents that a wrong old password is reported only after the new password has been entered, because the update goes to the server in one RPC call. The BSD pages do not describe this. Source: Solnix yppasswd(1) BUGS; FreeBSD yppasswd(1); NetBSD yppasswd(1)
NetBSD	deprecation	Both Solnix and NetBSD pages mark yppasswd as obsolete and have the same synopsis, yppasswd [user]. The NetBSD page gives no further detail. Source: Solnix yppasswd(1) NOTES, SYNOPSIS; NetBSD yppasswd(1) SYNOPSIS, DESCRIPTION

Standards

POSIX: yppasswd is not a POSIX.1-2024 utility.

Writing portable scripts

Do not rely on yppasswd in scripts. Linux and OpenBSD counterparts are not in the bundle, and the Solnix and NetBSD pages both deprecate it. On Solnix use passwd -r nis.
Do not pass -d, -h, -y, -l or -o to yppasswd: they exist only on FreeBSD, and Solnix yppasswd accepts none of them.

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.