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 table 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 multiple 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 ver‐
sion 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 subdo‐
main.
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 com‐
mand 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 electronic 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 com‐
mand 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 net‐
work-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
responsible 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 data‐
base 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 respon‐
sible for this domain. This is used in the start-of-author‐
ity (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
created 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 listen
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 sub‐
net 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 han‐
dles 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 created,
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 ALSOnamed(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)
