---
name: SOLNIX-ADMIN
description: Operate an illumos/Solnix system — SMF services, ZFS, boot environments, zones, networking, DTrace. Use when the task is running or troubleshooting a Solnix machine rather than packaging or contributing.
---

# Administering Solnix

Solnix is illumos underneath, managed declaratively with Nix/NixOS modules.
The operating surface is illumos, not Linux.

## The mental model (coming from Linux)

| Linux | illumos / Solnix |
|-------|------------------|
| systemd units | **SMF** services (FMRIs, `svcs`/`svcadm`/`svccfg`) |
| ext4/LVM | **ZFS** everywhere |
| GRUB generations | **ZFS boot environments** (`beadm`) as generations |
| containers (namespaces) | **zones** (and LX zones for Linux binaries) |
| iptables/nftables | **ipfilter**, `dladm`/`ipadm` |
| strace/perf | **DTrace** |

Full translation guide: <https://solnix.io/handbook/for-linux-users>.

## Services (SMF)

```
svcs                      # list service states
svcadm enable svc:/...    # bring a service online
svccfg -s <fmri> ...      # edit configuration/manifests
```
See [smf-manifests](community/conventions/smf-manifests.md).

## Upgrades & rollback (boot environments)

A system change creates a new ZFS boot environment; you can roll back to the
previous one on next boot. See
[boot-environments](community/conventions/boot-environments.md) and
<https://solnix.io/handbook/boot-environments>.

## Find the right command

The man pages are searchable: `search_manpages` (MCP), `GET /api/v1/manpages?q=`,
or <https://solnix.io/docs>. The handbook explains the concepts:
`search_handbook` or <https://solnix.io/handbook/>.