global binary options:

+e --no-env

Do not look at environment variables at all

-f --pipe

Read queries on stdin instead of using args

-a --asynch

Allow answers to be reordered

answer/error output format and destination (see below):

-Fs --fmt-simple

Answers to stdout, errors as messages to stderr (default)

-Fi --fmt-inline

Answers and errors both to stdout in parseable format

-Fa --fmt-asynch

Fully-parseable output format (default for --asynch)

global verbosity level:

-Vq --quiet

Do not print anything to stderr

-Vn --no-quiet

Report unexpected kinds of problem only (default)

-Vd --debug

Debugging mode

--no-checkc

Do not do for-developer consistency checks

--checkc

Do for-developer consistency checks

--checkc-freq

Do for-developer consistency checks very often

other global options:

--config <<config-text>>

Configuration to use instead of /etc/resolv.conf

--version

Print version number

--help

Print usage information

per-query options:

-t<type> / --type <type>

Query type (see below)

-i<addr> / --ptr <addr>

Do reverse query (address -> name lookup)

--reverse <addr> <zone>

Lookup in in-addr-like `zone' (eg MAPS RBL)

per-query binary options:

-s --search

Use the search list

-Qq --qc-query

Let query domains contain quote-requiring chars

-Qa --qc-anshost

Let hostnames in answers contain ...

+Qc --no-qc-cname

Prevent CNAME target domains from containing ...

-u --tcp

Force use of a virtual circuit

+Do --no-show-owner

Do not display owner name in output

+Dt --no-show-type

Do not display RR type in output

+Dc --no-show-cname

Do not display CNAME target in output

per-query TTL mode (NB TTL is minimum across all info in reply):

-Tt --ttl-ttl

Show the TTL as a TTL

-Ta --ttl-abs

Show the TTL as a time_t when the data might expire

-Tn --no-ttl

Do not show the TTL (default)

per-query address family options (for `addr' etc.):

-A4 ----addr-ipv4-only

Only return IPv4 addresses

-A6 ----addr-ipv6-only

Only return IPv6 addresses

-Aa ----addr-all

Return all available addresses (default)

-Am ----addr-ipv6-mapped

Return IPv4 addresses as IPv6-mapped

per-query CNAME handling mode:

-Cf --cname-reject

Call it an error if a CNAME is found

-Cl --cname-loose

Allow references to CNAMEs in other RRs

-Cs --cname-ok

CNAME ok for query domain, but not in RRs (default)

asynchronous/pipe mode options:

--asynch-id <id>

Set <id>, default is decimal sequence starting 0

--cancel-id <id>

Cancel the query with id <id> (no error if not found)

Escaping domains which might start with `-':

- <domain>

Next argument is a domain, but more options may follow

Query domains should always be quoted according to master file format.

For binary options, --FOO and --no-FOO are opposites, as are -X and +X. In each case the default is the one not listed. Per query options stay set a particular way until they are reset, whether they appear on the command line or on stdin. All global options must preceed the first query domain.

With -f, the input should be lines with either an option, possibly with a value argument (separated from the option by a space if it's a long option), or a domain (possibly preceded by a hyphen and a space to distinguish it from an option).

Output format is master file format without class or TTL by default:

[<owner>] [<ttl>] [<type>] <data>

or if the <owner> domain refers to a CNAME and --show-cname is on

[<owner>] [<ttl>] CNAME <cname> [<cname>] [<ttl>] <type> <data>

When a query fails you get an error message to stderr (with --fmt-simple). Specify --fmt-inline for lines like this (broken here for readability):

; failed <statustype> <statusnum> <statusabbrev> \

[<owner>] [<ttl>] [<cname>] "<status string>"

If you use --fmt-asynch, which is the default for --asynch, each answer (success or failure) is preceded by a line

<id> <nrrs> <statustype> <statusnum> <statusabbrev> \

[<owner>] [<ttl>] [<cname>] "<status string>"

where <nrrs> is the number of RRs that follow and <cname> will be `$' or the CNAME target; the CNAME indirection and error formats above are not used.

Exit status:

0

all went well

1-6

at least one query failed with statustype:

1

localfail )

2

remotefail ) temporary errors

3

tempfail __)_________________

4

misconfig )

5

misquery ) permanent errors

6

permfail )

10

system trouble

11

usage problems

Query types (see adns.h; default is addr):

ns

soa ptr mx rp srv addr - enhanced versions

cname

hinfo txt - types with only one version

a

aaaa ns- soa- ptr- mx- rp- srv- - _raw versions

type<number>

- `unknown' type, RFC3597

Default is addr, or ptr for -i/--ptr queries