RNDC linux command manual
RNDC(8) RNDC(8)
NAME
rndc - name server control utility
SYNOPSIS
rndc [ -c config-file ] [ -k key-file ] [ -s server ] [ -p port ]
[ -V ] [ -y key_id ] command
DESCRIPTION
rndc controls the operation of a name server. It supersedes the ndc
utility that was provided in old BIND releases. If rndc is invoked
with no command line options or arguments, it prints a short summary
of the supported commands and the available options and their argu-
ments.
rndc communicates with the name server over a TCP connection, sending
commands authenticated with digital signatures. In the current ver-
sions of rndc and named named the only supported authentication algo-
rithm is HMAC-MD5, which uses a shared secret on each end of the con-
nection. This provides TSIG-style authentication for the command
request and the name server's response. All commands sent over the
channel must be signed by a key_id known to the server.
rndc reads a configuration file to determine how to contact the name
server and decide what algorithm and key it should use.
OPTIONS
-c config-file
Use config-file as the configuration file instead of the
default, /etc/rndc.conf.
-k key-file
Use key-file as the key file instead of the default,
/etc/rndc.key. The key in /etc/rndc.key will be used to authen-
ticate commands sent to the server if the config-file does not
exist.
-s server
server is the name or address of the server which matches a
server statement in the configuration file for rndc. If no
server is supplied on the command line, the host named by the
default-server clause in the option statement of the configura-
tion file will be used.
-p port
Send commands to TCP port port instead of BIND 9's default con-
trol channel port, 953.
-V Enable verbose logging.
-y keyid
Use the key keyid from the configuration file. keyid must be
known by named with the same algorithm and secret string in
order for control message validation to succeed. If no keyid
is specified, rndc will first look for a key clause in the
server statement of the server being used, or if no server
statement is present for that host, then the default-key clause
of the options statement. Note that the configuration file
contains shared secrets which are used to send authenticated
control commands to name servers. It should therefore not have
general read or write access.
For the complete set of commands supported by rndc, see the BIND 9
Administrator Reference Manual or run rndc without arguments to see
its help message.
LIMITATIONS
rndc does not yet support all the commands of the BIND 8 ndc utility.
There is currently no way to provide the shared secret for a key_id
without using the configuration file.
Several error messages could be clearer.
SEE ALSO
rndc.conf(5), named(8), named.conf(5) ndc(8), BIND 9 Administrator
Reference Manual.
AUTHOR
Internet Software Consortium
BIND9 June 30, 2000 RNDC(8)