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RNDC(8)                                             BIND9                                            RNDC(8)



NAME
       rndc - name server control utility

SYNOPSIS
       rndc [-b source-address] [-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 arguments.

       rndc communicates with the name server over a TCP connection, sending commands authenticated with
       digital signatures. In the current versions of rndc and named 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.

       rndc reads a configuration file to determine how to contact the name server and decide what algorithm
       and key it should use.

OPTIONS
       -b source-address
           Use source-address as the source address for the connection to the server. Multiple instances are
           permitted to allow setting of both the IPv4 and IPv6 source addresses.

       -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 authenticate 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 configuration file will be used.

       -p port
           Send commands to TCP port port instead of BIND 9's default control 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 Systems Consortium

COPYRIGHT
       Copyright (C) 2004, 2005, 2007 Internet Systems Consortium, Inc. ("ISC")
       Copyright (C) 2000, 2001 Internet Software Consortium.



BIND9                                           June 30, 2000                                        RNDC(8)