<!DOCTYPE refentry PUBLIC "-//OASIS//DTD DocBook V4.1//EN">

<refentry>

<refentryinfo>

<date>June 30, 2000</date>

</refentryinfo>

<refmeta>

<refentrytitle><application>rndc</application></refentrytitle>

<manvolnum>8</manvolnum>

<refmiscinfo>BIND9</refmiscinfo>

</refmeta>

<refnamediv>

<refname><application>rndc</application></refname>

<refpurpose>name server control utility</refpurpose>

</refnamediv>

<refsynopsisdiv>

<cmdsynopsis>

<command>rndc</command>

<arg><option>-c <replaceable class="parameter">config-file</replaceable></option></arg>

<arg><option>-s <replaceable class="parameter">server</replaceable></option></arg>

<arg><option>-p <replaceable class="parameter">port</replaceable></option></arg>

<arg><option>-V</option></arg>

<arg><option>-y <replaceable class="parameter">key_id</replaceable></option></arg>

<arg choice="req">command</arg>

</cmdsynopsis>

</refsynopsisdiv>

<refsect1>

<title>DESCRIPTION</title>

<para>

<command>rndc</command> controls the operation of a name

server. It supersedes the <command>ndc</command> utility

that was provided in old BIND releases. If

<command>rndc</command> is invoked with no command line

options or arguments, it prints a short summary of the

supported commands and the available options and their

arguments.

</para>

<para>

<command>rndc</command> communicates with the name server

over a TCP connection, sending commands authenticated with

digital signatures. In the current versions of

<command>rndc</command> and <command>named</command> named

the only supported authentication algorithm is HMAC-MD5,

which uses a shared secret on each end of the connection.

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.

</para>

<para>

<command>rndc</command> reads a configuration file to

determine how to contact the name server and decide what

algorithm and key it should use.

</para>

</refsect1>

<refsect1>

<title>OPTIONS</title>

<variablelist>

<varlistentry>

<term>-c <replaceable class="parameter">config-file</replaceable></term>

<listitem>

<para>

Use <replaceable class="parameter">config-file</replaceable>

as the configuration file instead of the default,

<filename>/etc/rndc.conf</filename>.

</para>

</listitem>

</varlistentry>

<varlistentry>

<term>-s <replaceable class="parameter">server</replaceable></term>

<listitem>

<para>

<replaceable class="parameter">server</replaceable> is

the name or address of the server which matches a

server statement in the configuration file for

<command>rndc</command>. If no server is supplied on the

command line, the host named by the default-server clause

in the option statement of the configuration file will be

used.

</para>

</listitem>

</varlistentry>

<varlistentry>

<term>-p <replaceable class="parameter">port</replaceable></term>

<listitem>

<para>

Send commands to TCP port

<replaceable class="parameter">port</replaceable> instead

of BIND 9's default control channel port, 953.

</para>

</listitem>

</varlistentry>

<varlistentry>

<term>-V</term>

<listitem>

<para>

Enable verbose logging.

</para>

</listitem>

</varlistentry>

<varlistentry>

<term>-y <replaceable class="parameter">keyid</replaceable></term>

<listitem>

<para>

Use the key <replaceable class="parameter">keyid</replaceable>

from the configuration file.

<replaceable class="parameter">keyid</replaceable> must be

known by named with the same algorithm and secret string

in order for control message validation to succeed.

If no <replaceable class="parameter">keyid</replaceable>

is specified, <command>rndc</command> 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.

</para>

</listitem>

</varlistentry>

</variablelist>

<para>

For the complete set of commands supported by <command>rndc</command>,

see the BIND 9 Administrator Reference Manual or run

<command>rndc</command> without arguments to see its help message.

</para>

</refsect1>

<refsect1>

<title>LIMITATIONS</title>

<para>

<command>rndc</command> does not yet support all the commands of

the BIND 8 <command>ndc</command> utility.

</para>

<para>

There is currently no way to provide the shared secret for a

<option>key_id</option> without using the configuration file.

</para>

<para>

Several error messages could be clearer.

</para>

</refsect1>

<refsect1>

<title>SEE ALSO</title>

<para>

<citerefentry>

<refentrytitle>rndc.conf</refentrytitle>

<manvolnum>5</manvolnum>

</citerefentry>,

<citerefentry>

<refentrytitle>named</refentrytitle>

<manvolnum>8</manvolnum>

</citerefentry>,

<citerefentry>

<refentrytitle>named.conf</refentrytitle>

<manvolnum>5</manvolnum>

</citerefentry>

<citerefentry>

<refentrytitle>ndc</refentrytitle>

<manvolnum>8</manvolnum>

</citerefentry>,

<citetitle>BIND 9 Administrator Reference Manual</citetitle>.

</para>

</refsect1>

<refsect1>

<title>AUTHOR</title>

<para>

<corpauthor>Internet Software Consortium</corpauthor>

</para>

</refsect1>

</refentry>