host(1) 						      General Commands Manual							   host(1)

NAME

       host - DNS lookup utility

SYNOPSIS

       class] ndots] number] type] wait] name [server]

DESCRIPTION

       is  a  simple utility for performing DNS lookups.  It is normally used to convert names to IP addresses and vice versa.	With no options or
       operands, prints an annotated usage summary.

   Options
       Use only the IPv4 query transport.

       Use only the IPv6 query transport.

       Equivalent to using

       Attempt to display the
		 records for zone name from all the listed authoritative name servers for that zone.  The list of name servers is defined  by  the
		 records that are found for the zone.

       Make a DNS query of class
		 class.  This can be used to look up class resource records.  The values for class are:

		 The Internet class (default).

		 The MIT Chaosnet class.

		 The MIT Athena Hesiod class.

		 The class values are case-insensitive.

       Generate verbose output.
		 Now equivalent to the option.	is provided for backwards compatibility.  In previous versions, it switched on debugging traces.

       Use the IP6.INT domain, as defined in RFC 1886,
		 to perform reverse lookups of IPv6 addresses.	The default is to use IP6.ARPA.

       Select list mode.
		 performs  a zone transfer for zone name.  Transfer the zone, printing out the and address records If is combined with all records
		 will be printed.

       Set the number of dots that have to be in
		 name for it to be considered absolute.  The default value is defined using the statement in or is if  no  statement  is  present.
		 Names with fewer dots are interpreted as relative names and will be searched for in the domains listed in the or directive in

       Set the number of UDP retries for a lookup.
		 number  indicates  how many times will repeat a query that does not get answered.  The default number of retries is 1.  If number
		 is negative or zero, the number of retries is set to 1.

       Make nonrecursive queries.
		 Setting this option clears the RD (recursion desired) bit in the query which makes.   This  should  mean  that  the  name  server
		 receiving the query will not attempt to resolve the name operand.

		 This  option  enables	to  mimic the behavior of a name server by making nonrecursive queries and expecting to receive answers to
		 those queries that are usually referrals to other name servers.

       Use a TCP connection when querying the name server.
		 TCP is automatically selected for queries that require it, such as zone transfer requests.   By  default  uses  UDP  when  making
		 queries.

       Select the query type.
		 type  can  be	any  recognized query type: and so on.	For potential values, see the command in nslookup(1) and the discussion in
		 named.conf(4).

		 The type values are case-insensitive.

		 When the option is omitted, automatically selects an appropriate query type.  By default, it looks for records, but if the option
		 is given, queries are made for records.  If the operand is an IPv4 or IPv6 address, queries for records.

		 For a query type of you can specify the starting serial number by appending an equals sign followed by the starting serial number
		 (for example,

       Generate verbose output.

       Set the time to wait for a reply to
		 wait seconds.	If wait is less than 1, the wait interval is set to 1.

       Effectively wait forever for a reply.
		 The time to wait for a response is set to the number of seconds given by the hardware's maximum value for an integer quantity.

   Operands
       name	 The domain name that is to be looked up.  It can also be an IPv4 or IPv6 address, in which  case  will,  by  default,	perform  a
		 reverse lookup for that address.

       server	 The name or IP address of the name server that should query.  The default is the server or servers listed in

EXAMPLES

       Using a host name:

       Using an IP address:

AUTHOR

       was developed by the Internet Systems Consortium (ISC).

FILES

SEE ALSO

       dig(1), nslookup(1), named(1M), named.conf(4), resolver(4).

       Requests for Comments (RFC): 1886, available online at

       available online at

       available from the Internet Systems Consortium at

								     BIND 9.3								   host(1)