hosts_to_named(1M) hosts_to_named(1M)
NAME
hosts_to_named - translate host table to name server file format
SYNOPSIS
domain}... network-number
network-number] bootfile] subdomain]... subdomain]... file] host] min] domain]... server]... user] internet-address]...
file] host-file] netmask] server]... internet-address]...
DESCRIPTION
translates the host table, into files that are usable by the name server, (see named(1M)). The format of these files is defined in RFC
1035. The files are created in the current directory. Once the host table is translated, the name server files can be maintained
directly, or the translation can be repeated after each change to the host table.
If a line in the host table contains no domain names, all names on the line are assumed to be in the default domain. The first domain
listed is the If data is being created for more than one domain or if certain options are used, there must be domain names in the host ta-
ble to determine which names belong in which domain.
The name server data is referred to as
Options
has the following options:
Add the information about hosts in the local domain from network
network-number. This is the same as the option except that no pointer (PTR) data is created. This is useful when there are mul-
tiple domains on a network and a different server is handling the address-to-name mapping for network-number.
Do not create name server data for aliases in the host table.
Create IP6.ARPA reverse lookup domain instead of IP6.INT.
The pointer (PTR) records are placed in the file,
Name the boot file
bootfile. The default is (if is version 4.x) or (if is version 8.x or 9.x) in the current directory.
Create alias
(CNAME) records for hosts in subdomain of the default domain. When a subdomain is delegated, it is useful to create aliases for
the old names in the default domain that point to the new names in the subdomain. After creating the alias (CNAME) records,
ignore lines in the host table that contain names in the subdomain. This option can be used more than once on the command line.
This option requires domain names in the host table. When the old names in this domain are no longer used, they can be ignored
with the option. If the subdomain name does not have dots, the default domain is appended to subdomain.
Create resource records from strings
in the comment field of the host table. Each string in the comment field (except is searched for in file. The format of each
line of file is a string, a colon, and a resource record. If the string in the comment field matches a string before a colon in
file, a resource record is added consisting of the name of the host followed by everything after the colon from the matching line
in file. For example, host information (HINFO) records can be created by adding
to file and adding to comments in the host table.
Create data for
domain. This option can be used more than once on the command line if data is being created for more than one domain. The first
domain listed is the "default domain". This option requires domain names in the host table for all hosts in domains except the
default domain.
Do not create name server data for domain names in the host table.
Eliminate lines from the host table that contain names in the
subdomain before translating. If the subdomain name does not have dots, the default domain is appended. This option may be used
more than once on the command line. This option requires domain names in the host table.
Read command-line options from
file. The option is not allowed within a file.
Force the serial number to be incremented,
even if the data has not changed. By default, the serial number is incremented for a domain only if the data has changed
(pointer (PTR) data only).
Declare host to be the host in the start-of-authority (SOA) record that the name server data was created on. Also use host for the elec-
tronic mail address of the responsible user in the SOA record. The default is the host this command is run on. This option
applies to all the domains generated by If this option is specified more than once, only the last value will be considered.
Use host-file instead of
For each canonical host name from the host table, create mail exchanger
(MX) records with the specified weight and mail hub. The weight is a positive integer. The mail hub is a host name. If the
mail hub name has no dots, the default domain is appended. This option can be used more than once on the command line.
Do not create mail exchanger
(MX) records for hosts in the host table.
Create data for
network-number. See the subsection for the description of network-number. If only one domain is listed with the option, all
data for network-number is assumed to be in domain. The optional subnet mask mask can be used instead of supplying each network-
number for a subnet using multiple options. mask must be in dot notation. This option is not applicable for creating IPv6
addresses.
Apply the default subnet mask
mask to each network-number specified with the option except for ones with their subnet masks already provided. mask must be in
dot notation. This is the same as supplying each network-number for a subnet using multiple options.
Set the values in the start-of-authority
(SOA) record to those specified. See the subsection for the description of the start-of-authority (SOA) record.
Create only pointer
(PTR) data for hosts in domain. This is useful when there are multiple domains on a network and a different server is responsi-
ble for domain, but this server is responsible for the address-to-name mapping. This option can be used more than once on the
command line. This option requires domain names in the host table.
Run quietly.
No messages are printed.
Create name server data indicating that the name server
is authoritative for (the root of the domain tree). The file created is Use this only when your network is isolated from the
Internet. If other root servers exist for the isolated network, they must be added manually.
Create name server
(NS) records that declare server is an authoritative name server for all of the domains created. If more than one server is
authoritative, each needs to be declared. If the server name does not have any dots in it, the default domain is appended. If
you do not specify the option, the default name server is the host on which you execute the script. You can use this option more
than once on the command line to specify multiple name servers.
This option is the same as the
option, but it only applies to the last domain specified with a option or the last network-number specified with a option. This
option is for when server is backing up some, but not all, of the domains.
Note: At least one name server (either default or explicitly declared using the option) will be included in all the database
files, in addition to those declared using the option.
Create text
(TXT) records from the comments that appear with host data. The comments will all be in lower case because the host table is
translated to lower case. If appears in a comment, it is omitted. The is used to control mail exchanger (MX) data.
Declare user to be the electronic mail address of the person responsible for this domain. This is used in the start-of-authority (SOA)
record. The format required in the name server data is ,RI ( host must be a domain name). If given as user (without the host on
which this script is run is appended. If given as the is replaced with a dot The default user is This option applies to all the
domains generated by If you specify this option more than once, only the last value will be used.
Create well-known services
(WKS) data declaring that the host provides the SMTP service. This is done only when mail exchanger (MX) data is also being cre-
ated and only for hosts without in a comment.
Create a secondary boot file,
(if is version 4.x) or (if is version 8.x or 9.x), from the primary boot file, listing internet-address as the server to load the
data from. The boot file has the server back up the data on disk. The internet-address defaults to the value used with You can
specify this option more than once to declare multiple servers from which data can be loaded.
Note: All the servers declared using this option will be listed for all the domains.
Create a secondary boot file,
(if is version 4.x) or (if is version 8.x or 9.x), from the primary boot file, listing internet-address as the server to load the
data from. The boot file does not have the server back up the data on disk. The internet-address defaults to the value used
with You can use this option more than once to declare multiple servers from which data can be loaded.
Note: All the servers declared using this option will be listed for all domains.
Operation
translates the host table to lower case to help eliminate duplicate data. Since the name server treats uppercase and lowercase as equiva-
lent, names that differ only in case are considered the same.
The configuration file migration script does not add the option to the file on dual stack machine. In order to enable DNS services to lis-
ten on IPv6 interfaces, this entry needs to be added manually.
Alias (CNAME) records are created for subdomains delegated with the option. Lines from the host table that contain names in subdomains
from the and options are removed from the lowercase copy of the host table.
The host table is then used to create the name server data for each network-number declared on the command line. Do not include the trail-
ing in the network number. No distinction is made between class A, B, or C addresses nor is there any understanding of subnets unless a
subnet mask is supplied. Example network numbers are: (for all addresses of the form (for addresses of the form or (for addresses of the
form
Address (A) records are created for mapping host names to IP addresses. Alias (CNAME) records are created for aliases of hosts that are
not multi-homed. The data are placed in a file named DOMAIN where DOMAIN is the first part of the domain from the command line. For the
domain the file is named All other name server data goes in this file except the pointer (PTR) records described next.
Pointer (PTR) records are created for mapping IP addresses to host names. PTR records are placed in a file named where NET is the network
number from the command line. Network data are placed in Network data are placed in
Address (AAAA) records and A6 records are created for mapping host names to IPv6 addresses.
Pointer (PTR) records are created for mapping IPv6 addresses to host names. The IPv6 PTR records are placed in if the option is specified;
otherwise, they are placed in
Mail exchanger (MX) records are created unless the option is used. The default MX record has a weight of 10 with the host itself as its
mail exchanger. No default MX record is created for a host if is in the comment section of that line in the host table. MX records for
each mail hub declared with the option are added for each host even if is in the comment section.
Well-known services (WKS) records are created for each host that handles SMTP mail (does not have if the option is used. The only service
listed is SMTP.
Text (TXT) records are created for comments associated with hosts in the host table if the option is used. The comments do not include
For each domain, a start-of-authority (SOA) record is created. The SOA record requires two domain names: the host that the data is created
on and the electronic mail address of the person responsible. The and options influence the names. In addition, the SOA record requires 5
values: a serial number, a refresh time, a retry time, an expire time, and a minimum ttl (time to live). The first time the data is cre-
ated, the serial number is set to 1, the refresh time is set to 3 hours, the retry time is set to 1 hour, the expire time is set to 1 week,
and the minimum ttl is set to 1 day. The option changes these values except for the serial number. Each subsequent time is run, the
serial number is incremented. If other fields in the SOA record are modified, the changed values are retained.
If there are files named or in the current directory, directives are added to the corresponding or file for the file. In this way, special
data can be added to the data generated by
The first time is run, it creates a default boot file for a primary name server. Each subsequent time is run, the boot file is updated if
necessary. New entries are made in the boot file for any additional networks or domains not already in the boot file. No entries are
deleted from the boot file.
The boot file for a caching-only server, (if is version 4.x) or (if is version 8.x or 9.x), is created if it does not exist. The boot
files for secondary servers, or and or are created if the or options are used. The boot files for secondary servers are created new each
time from the primary server boot file so that they are equivalent.
EXAMPLES
1. Create name server data for networks 15.19.8 and 15.19.9 in
2. Create name server data for networks 15.19.8 and 15.19.9 in Ignore aliases in the host table and include two mail hubs: and Read all
of the options from a file.
contains the following lines:
3. Network 15.19.15 has hosts in the domain and the domain. Create name server data for Create only pointer (PTR) data for hosts in on
network 15.19.15 (this requires the hosts in to have the canonical name or an alias of the form
4. Create name server data for network 15.19.8 in Include data from network 15.19.15 but do not create pointer (PTR) data for 15.19.15
since that is being handled by the server.
5. Create name server data for multiple domains and You must declare 15.18.1.1 as the host in the start-of-authority (SOA) record for
all the domains. Also, create a secondary boot file from the primary boot file listing 15.18.1.1 and 15.18.2.1 as the servers to
load the data from, to all the domains. Declare 15.18.2.1 as an authoritative name server for the domain in addition to the default
server.
contains the following lines:
AUTHOR
was developed by HP.
FILES
The host table
Primary server boot file (version 4.x)
Primary server boot file (version 8.x or 9.x)
Caching only server boot file (version 4.x)
Caching only server boot file (version 8.x or 9.x)
Secondary server boot file (version 4.x)
Secondary server boot file (version 8.x or 9.x)
Secondary server boot file (version 4.x)
Secondary server boot file (version 8.x or 9.x)
Pointer information for 127.0.0.1
Stub cache file for root server addresses
Data for servers for the root domain
Address and other data for a domain
Pointer data for all network-numbers
Pointer data for a network-number
Pointer data for a IPv6 network-number
Pointer data for a IPv6 network-number in IP6.ARPA domain
SEE ALSO
named(1M).
Requests for Comments (RFC): 1034, 1035, available online at
available online at
available from the Internet Systems Consortium at
BIND 9.3 hosts_to_named(1M)