diff --git a/src/pkg/syscall/syscall_darwin.go b/src/pkg/syscall/syscall_darwin.go
index 291ea557b0..cfac4295b6 100644
--- a/src/pkg/syscall/syscall_darwin.go
+++ b/src/pkg/syscall/syscall_darwin.go
@@ -342,6 +342,9 @@ func SetsockoptLinger(fd, level, opt int, l *Linger) (errno int) {
 	return setsockopt(fd, level, opt, uintptr(unsafe.Pointer(l)), unsafe.Sizeof(*l))
 }
 
+func SetsockoptString(fd, level, opt int, s string) (errno int) {
+	return setsockopt(fd, level, opt, uintptr(unsafe.Pointer(&[]byte(s)[0])), len(s))
+}
 
 //sys recvfrom(fd int, p []byte, flags int, from *RawSockaddrAny, fromlen *_Socklen) (n int, errno int)
 
diff --git a/src/pkg/syscall/syscall_freebsd.go b/src/pkg/syscall/syscall_freebsd.go
index f5bb454124..a1a34b291a 100644
--- a/src/pkg/syscall/syscall_freebsd.go
+++ b/src/pkg/syscall/syscall_freebsd.go
@@ -342,6 +342,9 @@ func SetsockoptLinger(fd, level, opt int, l *Linger) (errno int) {
 	return setsockopt(fd, level, opt, uintptr(unsafe.Pointer(l)), unsafe.Sizeof(*l))
 }
 
+func SetsockoptString(fd, level, opt int, s string) (errno int) {
+	return setsockopt(fd, level, opt, uintptr(unsafe.Pointer(&[]byte(s)[0])), len(s))
+}
 
 //sys recvfrom(fd int, p []byte, flags int, from *RawSockaddrAny, fromlen *_Socklen) (n int, errno int)
 
diff --git a/src/pkg/syscall/syscall_linux.go b/src/pkg/syscall/syscall_linux.go
index 53ddf1c0e4..058a76d699 100644
--- a/src/pkg/syscall/syscall_linux.go
+++ b/src/pkg/syscall/syscall_linux.go
@@ -365,6 +365,10 @@ func SetsockoptLinger(fd, level, opt int, l *Linger) (errno int) {
 	return setsockopt(fd, level, opt, uintptr(unsafe.Pointer(l)), unsafe.Sizeof(*l))
 }
 
+func SetsockoptString(fd, level, opt int, s string) (errno int) {
+	return setsockopt(fd, level, opt, uintptr(unsafe.Pointer(&[]byte(s)[0])), len(s))
+}
+
 func Recvfrom(fd int, p []byte, flags int) (n int, from Sockaddr, errno int) {
 	var rsa RawSockaddrAny
 	var len _Socklen = SizeofSockaddrAny