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<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>-k <replaceable class="parameter">key-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>-k <replaceable class="parameter">key-file</replaceable></term>
	<listitem>
	  <para>
	      Use <replaceable class="parameter">key-file</replaceable>
	      as the key file instead of the default,
	      <filename>/etc/rndc.key</filename>.  The key in
	      <filename>/etc/rndc.key</filename> will be used to authenticate
	      commands sent to the server if the <replaceable class="parameter">config-file</replaceable>
	      does not exist.
	  </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>

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