knotc – Knot DNS control utility¶

Synopsis¶

knotc [parameters] action [action_args]

Description¶

If no action is specified, the program is executed in interactive mode.

Parameters¶

-c, --config file: Use a textual configuration file (default is @config_dir@/knot.conf).
-C, --confdb directory: Use a binary configuration database directory (default is @storage_dir@/confdb). The default configuration database, if exists, has a preference to the default configuration file.
-s, --socket path: Use a control UNIX socket path (default is @run_dir@/knot.sock).
-t, --timeout seconds: Use a control timeout in seconds. Set 0 for infinity (default is 5).
-f, --force: Forced operation. Overrides some checks.
-v, --verbose: Enable debug output.
-h, --help: Print the program help.
-V, --version: Print the program version.

Actions¶

status: Check if the server is running.
stop: Stop the server if running.
reload: Reload the server configuration and modified zone files. All open zone transactions will be aborted!
zone-check [zone...]: Test if the server can load the zone. Semantic checks are executed if enabled in the configuration. (*)
zone-memstats [zone...]: Estimate memory use for the zone. (*)
zone-status [zone...]: Show the zone status. (*)
zone-reload [zone...]: Trigger a zone reload from a disk without checking its modification time. For slave zone, the refresh from a master server is scheduled; for master zone, the notification of slave servers is scheduled. An open zone transaction will be aborted!
zone-refresh [zone...]: Trigger a check for the zone serial on the zone's master. If the master has a newer zone, a transfer is scheduled. This command is valid for slave zones.
zone-retransfer [zone...]: Trigger a zone transfer from the zone's master. The server doesn't check the serial of the master's zone. This command is valid for slave zones.
zone-flush [zone...]: Trigger a zone journal flush into the zone file.
zone-sign [zone...]: Trigger a DNSSEC re-sign of the zone. Existing signatures will be dropped. This command is valid for zones with automatic DNSSEC signing.
zone-read zone [owner [type]]: Get zone data that are currently being presented.
zone-begin zone...: Begin a zone transaction.
zone-commit zone...: Commit the zone transaction. All changes are applied to the zone.
zone-abort zone...: Abort the zone transaction. All changes are discarded.
zone-diff zone: Get zone changes within the transaction.
zone-get zone [owner [type]]: Get zone data within the transaction.
zone-set zone owner [ttl] type rdata: Add zone record within the transaction. The first record in a rrset requires a ttl value specified.
zone-unset zone owner [type [rdata]]: Remove zone data within the transaction.
zone-purge zone...: Purge zone data, file, journal, and timers.
conf-init: Initialize the configuration database. (*)
conf-check: Check the server configuration. (*)
conf-import filename: Import a configuration file into the configuration database. Ensure the server is not using the configuration database! (*)
conf-export filename: Export the configuration database into a config file. (*)
conf-list [item]: List the configuration database sections or section items.
conf-read [item]: Read the item from the active configuration database.
conf-begin: Begin a writing configuration database transaction. Only one transaction can be opened at a time.
conf-commit: Commit the configuration database transaction.
conf-abort: Rollback the configuration database transaction.
conf-diff [item]: Get the item difference in the transaction.
conf-get [item]: Get the item data from the transaction.
conf-set item [data...]: Set the item data in the transaction.
conf-unset [item] [data...]: Unset the item data in the transaction.

Note¶

Empty or -- zone parameter means all zones or all zones with a transaction.

Use @ owner to denote the zone name.

Type item parameter in the form of section[[id]][.name].

(*) indicates a local operation which requires a configuration.

Interactive mode¶

The utility provides interactive mode with basic line editing functionality, command completion, and command history.

Interactive mode behavior can be customized in ~/.editrc. Refer to editrc(5) for details.

Command history is saved in ~/.knotc_history.

Examples¶

Reload the whole server configuration¶

$ knotc reload

Flush the example.com and example.org zones¶

$ knotc zone-flush example.com example.org

Get the current server configuration¶

$ knotc conf-read server

Get the list of the current zones¶

$ knotc conf-read zone.domain

Get the master remotes for the example.com zone¶

$ knotc conf-read 'zone[example.com].master'

Add example.org zone with a zonefile location¶

$ knotc conf-begin
$ knotc conf-set 'zone[example.org]'
$ knotc conf-set 'zone[example.org].file' '/var/zones/example.org.zone'
$ knotc conf-commit

Get the SOA record for each configured zone¶

$ knotc zone-read -- @ SOA