devinfo(8) on Solnix vs Linux and the BSDs
On Solnix, devinfo is the illumos /usr/sbin/devinfo, a superuser-only tool that prints disk geometry (-i) or partition data (-p) for one device. The FreeBSD devinfo of the same name shows the kernel device tree and resources, so the two are unrelated.
The manual pages
- Solnix: devinfo(8) from
pkgs.solnix.illumos-world-man· illumos.org - FreeBSD: devinfo(8) 15.1-RELEASE
What Solnix runs
A default Solnix system runs the illumos devinfo at /usr/sbin/devinfo. No other variants are shipped. Linux, OpenBSD and NetBSD have no counterpart page in the bundle.
Differences
| Compared with | Topic | What differs |
|---|---|---|
| FreeBSD | purpose | Solnix devinfo prints disk device information (geometry and partitions) for a named device. FreeBSD devinfo shows the hierarchy of devices in the system, starting from the nexus device. Same name, different job. Source: Solnix devinfo(8) DESCRIPTION; FreeBSD devinfo(8) NAME, DESCRIPTION |
| FreeBSD | -p meaning | Solnix -p device prints partition information: major/minor numbers in hex, start block, block count, flag and tag. FreeBSD -p dev prints the path from dev back to the root of the device tree.Source: Solnix devinfo(8) -p; FreeBSD devinfo(8) -p |
| FreeBSD | -i missing on FreeBSD; -r, -u, -v missing on Solnix | Solnix has only -i and -p, and each requires a device operand. FreeBSD has no -i. FreeBSD's -r, -u and -v (resources, resources by type, all devices and verbose output) do not exist in the Solnix page.Source: Solnix devinfo(8) SYNOPSIS, OPTIONS; FreeBSD devinfo(8) SYNOPSIS, -r, -u, -v |
| FreeBSD | arguments required | Solnix devinfo always needs an option and a device operand. FreeBSD devinfo with no arguments is valid and lists the device tree. Source: Solnix devinfo(8) SYNOPSIS, OPERANDS; FreeBSD devinfo(8) DESCRIPTION |
| FreeBSD | device operand | Solnix takes a disk device name. FreeBSD -p accepts a device name, an absolute ACPI handle path beginning with a backslash, or a PCI selector.Source: Solnix devinfo(8) OPERANDS; FreeBSD devinfo(8) -p |
| FreeBSD | privilege | Solnix says the command can only be used by the superuser. The FreeBSD page states no such restriction. Source: Solnix devinfo(8) DESCRIPTION; FreeBSD devinfo(8) DESCRIPTION |
| FreeBSD | unsupported fields in -i output | Solnix -i prints the software version and drive id number as 0 because they are not supported. A script must not rely on those two fields.Source: Solnix devinfo(8) -i |
| FreeBSD | exit status | Solnix documents exit status 0 for success and 2 for failure, including a device that cannot be opened. The FreeBSD page has no EXIT STATUS section. Source: Solnix devinfo(8) EXIT STATUS, DESCRIPTION; FreeBSD devinfo(8) |
| FreeBSD | related commands | The Solnix page points to prtvtoc(8) and says other commands use devinfo to get information for making file systems and reading partitions. The FreeBSD page points to devctl(8), pciconf(8), vmstat(8) and others. Source: Solnix devinfo(8) DESCRIPTION, SEE ALSO; FreeBSD devinfo(8) SEE ALSO |
Standards
- POSIX: devinfo is not a POSIX.1-2024 utility.
- Solnix: The page's SEE ALSO refers to attributes(7); the bundle text contains no ATTRIBUTES or interface stability section.
- FreeBSD: The FreeBSD page has no STANDARDS section; HISTORY says devinfo appeared in FreeBSD 5.0.
Writing portable scripts
- Do not call devinfo in a cross-platform script: the name means disk partition info on Solnix and the device-tree listing on FreeBSD. Check the OS first.
- On Solnix, test the exit status (0 or 2) and run it as root.
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.