intro(8) on Solnix vs Linux and the BSDs
intro(8) on Solnix is the illumos section-8 introduction. It covers maintenance commands and explains that FSType-specific pages such as mount_nfs(8) describe modules of a generic command, not commands to run directly. Unlike the OpenBSD page, it says nothing about enabling daemons.
The manual pages
What Solnix runs
This is a man page, not a command. The published page comes from pkgs.solnix.illumos-world-man and is the illumos intro(8). No other variants are shipped. The bundle shows no executable for it; daemons live under /usr/lib, not /usr/bin, /usr/sbin or /sbin.
Differences
| Compared with | Topic | What differs |
|---|---|---|
| all four | FSType-specific pages | The Solnix page explains that pages named command_FSType, such as mount_nfs(8) and mount_ufs(8), describe FSType-specific modules. The administrator should not call them directly; the generic command is the interface. The other four intro(8) pages do not describe this convention. Source: Solnix intro(8) DESCRIPTION (mount, mount_hsfs, mount_nfs, mount_tmpfs, mount_ufs); Linux, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, NetBSD intro(8) DESCRIPTION |
| Linux | who runs section 8 commands | The Linux page says section 8 commands either can be or are used only by the superuser, and includes daemons and hardware-related commands. The Solnix page says only that the commands are chiefly for maintenance and administration. Source: Linux intro(8) DESCRIPTION; Solnix intro(8) DESCRIPTION |
| Linux, FreeBSD | exit status statement | Linux and FreeBSD intro(8) state that commands set an exit status. FreeBSD adds that 0 means success and >0 means error, and that many error values are undocumented. The Solnix page makes no exit-status statement, and its NOTES say only that not all commands follow the standard syntax. Source: Linux intro(8) DESCRIPTION; FreeBSD intro(8) DESCRIPTION; Solnix intro(8) NOTES |
| OpenBSD | daemon enablement | The OpenBSD page explains that rc(8) and rc.conf(8) control daemons, with overrides in rc.conf.local(8) or via rcctl(8). For example, httpd_flags=NO means httpd is not started by default. The Solnix page does not mention how to enable daemons. Source: OpenBSD intro(8) DESCRIPTION (httpd_flags, rc.conf.local(8), rcctl(8)); Solnix intro(8) DESCRIPTION |
| OpenBSD | per-daemon setup guide | The OpenBSD page has per-service setup notes for amd, DNS, NTP, DHCP, httpd, NFS, relayd, routing daemons, portmap and YP. For example, httpd chroots to /var/www. The Solnix page has no service-specific guidance.Source: OpenBSD intro(8) sections amd, DNS server, httpd web server, NFS server, YP setup; Solnix intro(8) |
| FreeBSD, NetBSD | example topics | FreeBSD and NetBSD list newfs, fsck, edquota, dump, restore and inetd as section 8 examples. FreeBSD adds boot(8), diskless(8) and crash(8). NetBSD adds diskless(8) and compat_linux(8). The Solnix page gives only the mount family as an example. Source: FreeBSD intro(8) DESCRIPTION; NetBSD intro(8) DESCRIPTION; Solnix intro(8) DESCRIPTION |
| Linux | page-level metadata | The Solnix page has an ATTRIBUTES section pointing to attributes(7) and SEE ALSO getopt(1), getopt(3C) and attributes(7). The Linux page has neither and refers to intro(1) for exit status and to page source headers for authors and copyright. Source: Solnix intro(8) ATTRIBUTES, SEE ALSO; Linux intro(8) DESCRIPTION, NOTES |
| FreeBSD, OpenBSD, NetBSD | history | FreeBSD, OpenBSD and NetBSD state that the intro section page appeared in 4.2BSD. The Solnix page has no HISTORY section. Source: FreeBSD, OpenBSD, NetBSD intro(8) HISTORY; Solnix intro(8) |
Standards
- POSIX: intro is not a POSIX.1-2024 utility.
- Solnix: The page has an ATTRIBUTES section that refers to attributes(7). The bundle does not show any attribute values.
Writing portable scripts
- Do not assume section 8 commands share one option syntax. The Solnix page notes that not all commands adhere to the standard syntax.
- Do not call command_FSType modules such as mount_nfs directly on Solnix. Use the generic command, such as mount, which the page says is the common interface.
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.