Man pages › Compared with Linux and the BSDs

`diskinfo(8)` on Solnix vs Linux and the BSDs

On Solnix, diskinfo is the illumos tool at /usr/bin/diskinfo. It takes no disk arguments and lists every disk in the system, one line per device. FreeBSD diskinfo takes named disks and can run benchmarks, so the two share a name but do different jobs.

The manual pages

Solnix: diskinfo(8) from pkgs.solnix.illumos-world-man · illumos.org
FreeBSD: diskinfo(8) 15.1-RELEASE

What Solnix runs

A default Solnix system runs the illumos diskinfo at /usr/bin/diskinfo. No other variants are shipped. The page says it works only from the global zone; in any other zone the output is incomplete and unreliable.

Differences

Compared with	Topic	What differs
FreeBSD	arguments	Solnix diskinfo takes no disk operands and reports on all disk devices. FreeBSD diskinfo requires one or more disk operands and reports only on those. Source: Solnix diskinfo(8) SYNOPSIS, DESCRIPTION; FreeBSD diskinfo(8) SYNOPSIS
FreeBSD	default output fields	Solnix default output has bus or fabric type, /dev/dsk base name, vendor and product strings, size, removable and solid-state flags. FreeBSD default output has device name, sector size, media size in bytes and sectors, stripe size and offset, and firmware geometry. Source: Solnix diskinfo(8) DESCRIPTION; FreeBSD diskinfo(8) DESCRIPTION (last paragraph)
FreeBSD	`-c` meaning	Solnix `-c` selects compact mode, which combines the default and physical output. FreeBSD `-c` measures I/O read command overhead, a benchmark. A script that passes `-c` to FreeBSD diskinfo gets a test, not a report. Source: Solnix diskinfo(8) -c; FreeBSD diskinfo(8) -c
FreeBSD	`-p` meaning	Solnix `-p` makes output parsable: size in bytes and location as comma-separated chassis and bay. FreeBSD `-p` returns the physical path of the disk, and cannot be mixed with other modes. Source: Solnix diskinfo(8) -p; FreeBSD diskinfo(8) SYNOPSIS, -p
FreeBSD	`-P` and serial number	Solnix `-P` selects physical mode, which includes the serial number, fmd(8) fault status, locate indicator, and chassis and bay. FreeBSD has no `-P`; its `-s` returns the disk ident, usually the serial number. Source: Solnix diskinfo(8) -P, DESCRIPTION; FreeBSD diskinfo(8) -s
FreeBSD	benchmarks	FreeBSD diskinfo has seek/transfer (`-t`), IOPS (`-i`), ZFS SLOG sync write (`-S`) and read-overhead (`-c`) tests, and `-w` to allow disruptive writes. The Solnix page documents no benchmark or write-test options. Source: FreeBSD diskinfo(8) -c, -i, -S, -t, -w; Solnix diskinfo(8) OPTIONS
FreeBSD	header suppression and verbose output	Solnix `-H` omits the header line for text-processing tools. FreeBSD has no `-H`; its `-v` prints one field per line with a descriptive comment. The FreeBSD page does not mention a header. Source: Solnix diskinfo(8) -H; FreeBSD diskinfo(8) -v
FreeBSD	`-l` meaning	FreeBSD `-l` prepends the device name and a tab to each line in `-p` or `-s` mode. Solnix has no `-l`; its default output already has one device per line. Source: FreeBSD diskinfo(8) -l; Solnix diskinfo(8) SYNOPSIS, DESCRIPTION
FreeBSD	device naming	Solnix reports the base name of the device in /dev/dsk. FreeBSD takes a disk name as an operand and echoes the device name; the FreeBSD page does not say where those devices live. Source: Solnix diskinfo(8) DESCRIPTION; FreeBSD diskinfo(8) DESCRIPTION
Linux, OpenBSD, NetBSD	no counterpart page	The bundle has no diskinfo page for Linux, OpenBSD or NetBSD, so no comparison can be made for them. Source: bundle header (only a FreeBSD counterpart is listed)

Standards

POSIX: diskinfo is not a POSIX.1-2024 utility.
Solnix: The Solnix page has no STANDARDS or interface stability section.
FreeBSD: The FreeBSD page has no STANDARDS section; HISTORY says diskinfo appeared in FreeBSD 5.1.

Writing portable scripts

Do not share diskinfo invocations between Solnix and FreeBSD: the same flags (-c, -p) do different things. Branch on the OS and use each system's own options.
On Solnix, use diskinfo -Hp for scripts: no header, size in bytes, and location as chassis,bay.

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.