Provided by: dbndns_1.05-8ubuntu1_amd64 bug

NAME

       tinydns-data - data tool for tinydns

DESCRIPTION

       This is a reference page.  For tutorial information, see the instructions for
       running a DNS server (http://cr.yp.to/djbdns/run-server.html).

       tinydns-data  reads local DNS information from a file named data in the current directory.
       It creates data.cdb in a binary format designed for fast access  by  tinydns(8).   It  may
       also create some other files with names beginning with data.

       tinydns-data  updates  data.cdb  atomically,  so you can use it safely while tinydns(8) is
       running.  If anything goes wrong with the creation of  data.cdb,  tinydns-data  stops  and
       leaves the old data.cdb in place.

Data format

       The  DNS  information  in data is a series of lines.  There are several types of lines, as
       shown below.

       Each line starts with a special character and continues with a series  of  colon-separated
       fields.   In  some  cases  the fields may be omitted; however, all colons must be included
       except at the end of the line.  Spaces and tabs at the end of a line are  ignored.   Blank
       lines are ignored.

       Each  line  contains  a  ttl  (``time to live'') specifying the number of seconds that the
       line's DNS records may be cached.  Beware that cache  times  below  300  seconds  will  be
       treated  as  300  by  some  clients,  and  NS cache times below 2 seconds can cause lookup
       failures.  You may omit ttl; tinydns-data will use default cache times, carefully selected
       to work well in normal situations.

       You  may  include a timestamp on each line.  If ttl is nonzero (or omitted), the timestamp
       is a starting time for the information in the line; the line will be ignored  before  that
       time.   If  ttl  is  zero,  the  timestamp  is  an  ending  time (``time to die'') for the
       information in the line; tinydns(8) dynamically adjusts ttl so that the line's DNS records
       are  not  cached  for  more  than  a  few seconds past the ending time.  A timestamp is an
       external TAI64 timestamp, printed as 16 lowercase hexadecimal  characters.   For  example,
       the lines

       +www.heaven.af.mil:1.2.3.4:0:4000000038af1379 +www.heaven.af.mil:1.2.3.7::4000000038af1379

       specify  that  www.heaven.af.mil  will  have  address  1.2.3.4 until time 4000000038af1379
       (2000-02-19 22:04:31 UTC) and will then switch to IP address 1.2.3.7.

       For versions 1.04 and above: You may include a client location on each line.  The line  is
       ignored for clients outside that location.  Client locations are specified by % lines:

       %lo:ipprefix

       means  that  IP  addresses starting with ipprefix are in location lo.  lo is a sequence of
       one or two ASCII letters.  A client is in only  one  location;  longer  prefixes  override
       shorter prefixes.  For example,

         %in:192.168
         %ex
         +jupiter.heaven.af.mil:192.168.1.2:::in
         +jupiter.heaven.af.mil:1.2.3.4:::ex

       specifies  that jupiter.heaven.af.mil has address 192.168.1.2 for clients in the 192.168.*
       network and address 1.2.3.4 for everyone else.

Common data lines

       .fqdn:ip:x:ttl:timestamp:lo

       Name server for our domain fqdn.

       tinydns-data creates

              an NS (``name server'') record showing x.ns.fqdn as a name server for fqdn;

              an A (``address'') record showing ip as the IP address of x.ns.fqdn; and

              an SOA (``start of authority'') record for fqdn listing x.ns.fqdn  as  the  primary
              name server and hostmaster@fqdn as the contact address.

       You may have several name servers for one domain, with a different x for each server.

       tinydns(8) will return only one SOA record per domain.

       If x contains a dot then tinydns-data will use x as the server name rather than x.ns.fqdn.
       This feature is provided only for compatibility reasons; names not ending with  fqdn  will
       force  clients  to  contact  parent servers much more often than they otherwise would, and
       will reduce the overall reliability of DNS.  You should omit ip  if  x  has  IP  addresses
       assigned elsewhere in data; in this case, tinydns-data will omit the A record.

       Examples:

         .panic.mil:1.8.7.55:a

       creates  an  NS  record showing a.ns.panic.mil as a name server for panic.mil, an A record
       showing 1.8.7.55 as the IP address of a.ns.panic.mil, and an SOA record for panic.mil.

         .panic.mil:1.8.7.56:dns2.panic.mil

       creates an NS record showing dns2.panic.mil as a name server for panic.mil,  an  A  record
       showing 1.8.7.56 as the IP address of dns2.panic.mil, and an SOA record for panic.mil.

         .panic.mil::a.ns.heaven.af.mil

       creates an NS record showing a.ns.heaven.af.mil as a name server for panic.mil, and an SOA
       record for panic.mil.

       &fqdn:ip:x:ttl:timestamp:lo

       Name server for domain fqdn.

       tinydns-data creates

              an NS record showing x.ns.fqdn as a name server for fqdn and

              an A record showing ip as the IP address of x.ns.fqdn.

       If x contains a dot then it is treated specially; see above.

       You may have several name servers for one domain, with a different x for each server.

       Normally & is used for domains delegated by this server to child servers, while .  is used
       for domains delegated to this server.

       Examples:

         &serious.panic.mil:1.8.248.6:a

       creates   an   NS   record   showing   a.ns.serious.panic.mil   as   a   name  server  for
       serious.panic.mil,  and  an  A  record  showing   1.8.248.6   as   the   IP   address   of
       a.ns.serious.panic.mil.

         &serious.panic.mil:1.8.248.7:ns7.panic.mil

       creates  an NS record showing ns7.panic.mil as a name server for serious.panic.mil, and an
       A record showing 1.8.248.7 as the IP address of ns7.panic.mil.

       =fqdn:ip:ttl:timestamp:lo

       Host fqdn with IP address ip.

       tinydns-data creates

              an A record showing ip as the IP address of fqdn and

              a PTR (``pointer'') record showing fqdn as the name of d.c.b.a.in-addr.arpa  if  ip
              is a.b.c.d.

       Remember  to  specify  name servers for some suffix of fqdn; otherwise tinydns(8) will not
       respond to queries about fqdn.  The same comment applies to other records described below.
       Similarly,  remember  to  specify name servers for some suffix of d.c.b.a.in-addr.arpa, if
       that domain has been delegated to you.

       Example:

         =button.panic.mil:1.8.7.108

       creates an A record showing 1.8.7.108 as the IP address of  button.panic.mil,  and  a  PTR
       record showing button.panic.mil as the name of 108.7.8.1.in-addr.arpa.

       +fqdn:ip:ttl:timestamp:lo

       Alias  fqdn  with  IP address ip.  This is just like =fqdn:ip:ttl except that tinydns-data
       does not create the PTR record.

       For versions 1.04 and above: tinydns(8) returns addresses (from + or = or @  or  .   or  &
       lines)  in  a  random  order  in the answer section.  If there are more than 8 records, it
       returns a random set of 8.

       Example:

         +button.panic.mil:1.8.7.109

       creates an A record showing 1.8.7.109 as another IP address for button.panic.mil.

       @fqdn:ip:x:dist:ttl:timestamp:lo

       Mail exchanger for fqdn.

       tinydns-data creates

              an MX (``mail exchanger'') record showing x.mx.fqdn as a mail exchanger for fqdn at
              distance dist and

              an A record showing ip as the IP address of x.mx.fqdn.

       You may omit dist; the default distance is 0.

       If x contains a dot then it is treated specially; see above.

       You may create several MX records for fqdn, with a different x for each server.  Make sure
       to arrange for the SMTP server on each IP address to accept mail for fqdn.

       Example:

         @panic.mil:1.8.7.88:mail.panic.mil

       creates an MX record showing mail.panic.mil as a mail exchanger for panic.mil at  distance
       0, and an A record showing 1.8.7.88 as the IP address of mail.panic.mil.

       #comment

       Comment line. The line is ignored.

Uncommon data lines

       -fqdn:s:ttl:timestamp:lo

       For versions 1.04 and above: This type of line is used by programs that automatically edit
       + lines in data to temporarily exclude addresses of overloaded or dead machines.  The line
       is ignored.

       'fqdn:s:ttl:timestamp:lo

       TXT (``text'') record for fqdn.  tinydns-data creates a TXT record for fqdn containing the
       string s.  You may use octal  nnn codes to include arbitrary bytes inside s; for  example,
        072 is a colon.

       ^fqdn:p:ttl:timestamp:lo

       PTR  record  for  fqdn.  tinydns-data creates a PTR record for fqdn pointing to the domain
       name p.

       Cfqdn:p:ttl:timestamp:lo

       CNAME (``canonical name'') record for fqdn.  tinydns-data creates a CNAME record for  fqdn
       pointing to the domain name p.

       Don't  use  Cfqdn  if  there  are  any  other  records for fqdn Don't use Cfqdn for common
       aliases; use +fqdn instead.  Remember the wise words of Inigo Montoya:  ``You  keep  using
       CNAME records.  I do not think they mean what you think they mean.''

       Zfqdn:mname:rname:ser:ref:ret:exp:min:ttl:timestamp:lo

       SOA  record  for  fqdn  showing  mname as the primary name server, rname (with the first .
       converted to @) as the contact address, ser as the serial number, ref as the refresh time,
       ret  as  the  retry  time, exp as the expire time, and min as the minimum time.  ser, ref,
       ret, exp, and min may be omitted; they default to, respectively, the modification time  of
       the data file, 16384 seconds, 2048 seconds, 1048576 seconds, and 2560 seconds.

       :fqdn:n:rdata:ttl:timestamp:lo

       Generic  record for fqdn.  tinydns-data creates a record of type n for fqdn showing rdata.
       n must be an integer between 1 and 65535; it must not be 2 (NS), 5 (CNAME),  6  (SOA),  12
       (PTR),  15  (MX),  or  252  (AXFR).  The proper format of rdata depends on n.  You may use
       octal  nnn codes to include arbitrary bytes inside rdata.

Wildcards

       tinydns supports wildcards of the form *.fqdn.  Information for  *.fqdn  is  provided  for
       every  name ending with .fqdn, except names that have their own records and names that are
       covered by more specific wildcards.

       For example, the lines

         +pink.floyd.u.heaven.af.mil:1.2.3.4
         +*.u.heaven.af.mil:1.2.3.200

       have the same effect as

         +pink.floyd.u.heaven.af.mil:1.2.3.4
         +joe.u.heaven.af.mil:1.2.3.200
         +bill.u.heaven.af.mil:1.2.3.200
         +floyd.u.heaven.af.mil:1.2.3.200
         +ishtar.u.heaven.af.mil:1.2.3.200
         +joe.bob.u.heaven.af.mil:1.2.3.200
         +sally.floyd.u.heaven.af.mil:1.2.3.200
         +post.pink.floyd.u.heaven.af.mil:1.2.3.200

       and so on.

       As another example, the lines

         +pink.floyd.u.heaven.af.mil:1.2.3.4
         @*.u.heaven.af.mil::mail.heaven.af.mil

       have the same effect as

         +pink.floyd.u.heaven.af.mil:1.2.3.4
         @joe.u.heaven.af.mil::mail.heaven.af.mil
         @bill.u.heaven.af.mil::mail.heaven.af.mil
         @floyd.u.heaven.af.mil::mail.heaven.af.mil
         @ishtar.u.heaven.af.mil::mail.heaven.af.mil
         @joe.bob.u.heaven.af.mil::mail.heaven.af.mil
         @sally.floyd.u.heaven.af.mil::mail.heaven.af.mil
         @post.pink.floyd.u.heaven.af.mil::mail.heaven.af.mil

       and so on.  Notice that the wildcard does not apply to pink.floyd.u.heaven.af.mil, because
       that name has its own records.

A typical data file:

         =lion.heaven.af.mil:1.2.3.4
         @heaven.af.mil:1.2.3.4
         @3.2.1.in-addr.arpa:1.2.3.4

         =tiger.heaven.af.mil:1.2.3.5
         .heaven.af.mil:1.2.3.5:a
         .3.2.1.in-addr.arpa:1.2.3.5:a

         =bear.heaven.af.mil:1.2.3.6
         .heaven.af.mil:1.2.3.6:b
         .3.2.1.in-addr.arpa:1.2.3.6:b

         =cheetah.heaven.af.mil:1.2.3.248
         =panther.heaven.af.mil:1.2.3.249

       Here is the same information in BIND zone-file format with the two zones merged:

         heaven.af.mil. 2560 IN SOA a.ns.heaven.af.mil. hostmaster.heaven.af.mil. ...
         heaven.af.mil. 259200 IN NS a.ns.heaven.af.mil.
         heaven.af.mil. 259200 IN NS b.ns.heaven.af.mil.
         heaven.af.mil. 86400 IN MX mx.heaven.af.mil.

         3.2.1.in-addr.arpa.  2560 IN SOA a.ns.3.2.1.in-addr.arpa. hostmaster.3.2.1.in-addr.arpa.
       ...
         3.2.1.in-addr.arpa. 259200 IN NS a.ns.3.2.1.in-addr.arpa.
         3.2.1.in-addr.arpa. 259200 IN NS b.ns.3.2.1.in-addr.arpa.
         3.2.1.in-addr.arpa. 86400 IN MX mx.3.2.1.in-addr.arpa.

         4.3.2.1.in-addr.arpa. 86400 IN PTR lion.heaven.af.mil.
         lion.heaven.af.mil. 86400 IN A 1.2.3.4
         mx.heaven.af.mil. 86400 IN A 1.2.3.4
         mx.3.2.1.in-addr.arpa. 86400 IN A 1.2.3.4

         5.3.2.1.in-addr.arpa. 86400 IN PTR tiger.heaven.af.mil.
         tiger.heaven.af.mil. 86400 IN A 1.2.3.5
         a.ns.heaven.af.mil. 259200 IN A 1.2.3.5
         a.ns.3.2.1.in-addr.arpa. 259200 IN A 1.2.3.5

         6.3.2.1.in-addr.arpa. 86400 IN PTR bear.heaven.af.mil.
         bear.heaven.af.mil. 86400 IN A 1.2.3.6
         b.ns.heaven.af.mil. 259200 IN A 1.2.3.6
         b.ns.3.2.1.in-addr.arpa. 259200 IN A 1.2.3.6

         248.3.2.1.in-addr.arpa. 86400 IN PTR cheetah.heaven.af.mil.
         cheetah.heaven.af.mil. 86400 IN A 1.2.3.248

         249.3.2.1.in-addr.arpa. 86400 IN PTR panther.heaven.af.mil.
         panther.heaven.af.mil. 86400 IN A 1.2.3.249

Design notes

       The data format is very easy for programs to edit, and reasonably easy for humans to edit,
       unlike the traditional zone-file format.

       tinydns-data could support a name wherever an IP address is required; it would look up the
       name in DNS and use the resulting address.  This would reliably track changes  in  offsite
       IP addresses if the database were rebuilt periodically.

SEE ALSO

       tinydns(8)

       http://cr.yp.to/djbdns.html

                                                                                  tinydns-data(8)