Technical data

dig
dig
Sends domain name query packets to name servers.
Format
dig [@server] domain [query-type][query-class][+query-option][-dig-option][%comment]
Description
Domain Information Groper ( dig ) is a flexible command line utility you can use to
gather information from Domain Name System servers. The dig utility has two
modes: simple interactive mode, which makes a single query; and batch mode,
which executes a query for each query in a list of several query lines. All query
options are accessible from the command line.
Parameters
server
Either a domain name or an IP address expressed in dotted-decimal notation.
If this optional field is omitted, dig attempts to use the default name server for
your machine.
If you specify a domain name, dig resolves the query using the domain name
resolver (BIND). If your system does not support DNS, you may have to specify
an network address in dotted-decimal notation. Alternatively, if a DNS server is
available, that server must be listed in the local hosts database.
domain
The domain name for which you are requesting information. See the -x option for
a convenient way to specify a reverse translation address query.
query-type
The type of information (DNS query type) that you are requesting. If you omit
this parameter, the default value for query-type is a (network address). BIND
recognizes the following query types:
Query
Type
Query
Class Description
a T_A Network address
any T_ANY All information about the specified domain
mx T_MX Mail exchanger for the domain
ns T_NS Name servers
soa T_SOA Zone of authority record
hinfo T_HINFO Host information
axfr T_AXFR Zone transfer (must ask an authoritative server)
txt T_TXT Arbitrary number of strings (see RFC 1035 for the
complete list)
query-class
The network class requested in the query. If you moit this parameter, the default
is in (C_IN, Internet class domain). BIND recognizes the following classes:
Troubleshooting Utilities Reference A–5