Other Platforms (BSD, Solaris, AIX, AmigaOS)

Most Nmap users run the software on Linux, Windows, or Mac OS X. We consider those our top priority platforms and we maintain build and test machines to ensure that each build supports them well.

Nmap also runs on many other platforms that we don't have the resources to personally test or build binaries packages for as frequently. We rely on a passionate user community to help Nmap maintain top-notch support for the platforms on this page, and we're always happy to see Nmap expand onto other platforms.

The following sections provide tips for running Nmap on specific platforms.

FreeBSD / OpenBSD / NetBSD

The BSD flavors are well supported by Nmap, so you can simply compile it from source as described in the section called “Linux/Unix Compilation and Installation from Source Code”. This provides the normal advantages of always having the latest version and a flexible build process. If you prefer binary packages, these *BSD variants each maintain their own Nmap packages. Many BSD systems also have a ports tree which standardizes the compilation of popular applications. Instructions for installing Nmap on the most popular *BSD variants follow.

OpenBSD Binary Packages and Source Ports Instructions

According to the OpenBSD FAQ, users “are HIGHLY advised to use packages over building an application from ports. The OpenBSD ports team considers packages to be the goal of their porting work, not the ports themselves.” That same FAQ contains detailed instructions for each method. Here is a summary:

Installation using binary packages

Choose a mirror from http://www.openbsd.org/ftp.html, then FTP in and grab the Nmap package from /pub/OpenBSD/<version>/packages/<platform>/nmap-<version>.tgz. Or obtain it from the OpenBSD distribution CD-ROM.
As root, execute: pkg_add -v nmap-<version>.tgz

Installation using the source ports tree

If you do not already have a copy of the ports tree, obtain it via CVS using instructions at http://openbsd.org/faq/faq15.html.
As root, execute the following command (replace /usr/ports with your local ports directory if it differs):
cd /usr/ports/net/nmap && make install clean

FreeBSD Binary Package and Source Ports Instructions

The FreeBSD project has a whole chapter in their Handbook describing the package and port installation processes. A brief summary of the process follows.

Installation of the binary package

The easiest way to install the binary Nmap package is to run pkg_add -r nmap. You can then run the same command with the zenmap argument if you want the X-Window front-end. If you wish to obtain the package manually instead, retrieve it from http://freshports.org/security/nmap and http://freshports.org/security/zenmap or the CDROM and run pkg_add <packagename.tgz>.

Installation using the source ports tree

The ports tree is often installed with the system itself (usually in /usr/ports). If you do not already have it, specific installation instructions are provided in the FreeBSD Handbook chapter referenced above.
As root, execute the following command (replace /usr/ports with your local ports directory if it differs):
cd /usr/ports/security/nmap && make install clean

NetBSD Binary Package Instructions

NetBSD has packaged Nmap for an enormous number of platforms, from the normal i386 to PlayStation 2, PowerPC, VAX, SPARC, MIPS, Amiga, ARM, and several platforms that I have never even heard of! A list of NetBSD Nmap packages is available from ftp://ftp.netbsd.org/pub/NetBSD/packages/pkgsrc/net/nmap/README.html and a description of using their package system to install applications is available at http://netbsd.org/Documentation/pkgsrc/using.html.

Oracle/Sun Solaris

Solaris has long been well-supported by Nmap, though we rely heavily on the Nmap community to help keep it that way. We recommend compiling and installing Nmap from source as described in the section called “Linux/Unix Compilation and Installation from Source Code”. If you have trouble, try sending a report with full details to the nmap-dev mailing list, as described in the section called “Bugs”. Also let us know if you develop a patch which improves Solaris support so we can incorporate it into Nmap for the benefit of other Solaris users.

IBM AIX

Nmap can be installed from source on IBM AIX by following the instructions in the section called “Linux/Unix Compilation and Installation from Source Code”. You need only pay attention to a few details.

You must use the gcc compiler, not xlc. Nmap's configure script will automatically find gcc if it is somewhere in the PATH environment variable.

Some editions of the default as assembler either crash or produce object files that can't be linked. This is what's happening if you see compiler output like this:

g++: internal compiler error: Segmentation fault (program as)
Please submit a full bug report,
with preprocessed source if appropriate.
See <http://gcc.gnu.org/bugs.html> for instructions.

ld: 0711-596 SEVERE ERROR: Object ../nsock/src/libnsock.a[nsock_core.o]
        An RLD for section 2 (.data) refers to symbol 1794,
        but the storage class of the symbol is not C_EXT or C_HIDEXT.

You can work around this problem by installing the as from GNU binutils. (But not ld; you want to continue using the default ld.) These instructions were tested on AIX 7.1 with binutils-2.22 from http://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/binutils.

$ bzip2 -dc binutils-2.22.tar.bz2 | tar -xvf -
$ cd binutils-2.22
$ ./configure --disable-werror --disable-largefile CFLAGS="-O2 -Wall"
$ gmake
$ cd gas
$ su
# gmake install

This will install as in /usr/local/bin. The custom CFLAGS omit -g, which would otherwise cause one of the as errors you are trying to work around. You must make sure that /usr/local/bin appears before /usr/bin in PATH while building and configuring Nmap.

$ export PATH="/usr/local/bin:$PATH"

In some cases GCC is configured to use an absolute path to the assembler. In this case you will have to temporarily move the default assembler out of the way. You can test whether this is the case by passing the -print-prog-name=as option to gcc:

$ gcc -print-prog-name=as
/usr/bin/as

If you see the output /usr/bin/as, then you must disable the system as with a command like mv /usr/bin/as /usr/bin/as.backup. If you see the output as, then no other changes should be required.

Now follow the instructions in the section called “Linux/Unix Compilation and Installation from Source Code”.

AmigaOS

One of the wonders of open source development is that resources are often directed towards what people find exciting rather than having an exclusive focus on profits as most corporations do. It is along those lines that the Amiga port came about. Diego Casorran performed most of the work and sent in a clean patch which was integrated into the main Nmap distribution. In general, AmigaOS users should be able to simply follow the source compilation instructions in the section called “Linux/Unix Compilation and Installation from Source Code”. You may encounter a few hurdles on some systems, but I presume that must be part of the fun for Amiga fanatics.

Other proprietary UNIX (HP-UX, IRIX, etc.)

Nmap has in the past supported many proprietary Unix flavors such as HP-UX and SGI IRIX. We depend heavily on the user community to maintain adequate support for these systems. If you have trouble, try sending a report with full details to the nmap-dev mailing list, as described in the section called “Bugs”. Also let us know if you develop a patch which improves support on your platform so we can incorporate it into Nmap.