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.
-m, –max-conf-size MiB: Set maximum size of the configuration database (default is @conf_mapsize@ MiB, maximum 10000 MiB).
-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 10).
-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 [detail]: Check if the server is running. Details are version for the running server version, workers for the numbers of worker threads, or configure for the configure summary.
stop: Stop the server if running.
reload: Reload the server configuration and modified zone files. All open zone transactions will be aborted!
stats [module[.counter]]: Show global statistics counter(s). To print also counters with value 0, use force option.
zone-status zone [filter]: Show the zone status. Filters are +role, +serial, +transaction, +events, and +freeze.
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-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-notify [zone…]: Trigger a NOTIFY message to all configured remotes. This can help in cases when previous NOTIFY had been lost or the slaves offline.
zone-flush [zone…] [+outdir directory]: Trigger a zone journal flush into the zone file. If output dir is specified, instead of flushing the zonefile, the zone is dumped to a file in the specified directory.
zone-sign [zone…]: Trigger a DNSSEC re-sign of the zone. Existing signatures will be dropped. This command is valid for zones with DNSSEC signing enabled.
zone-ksk-submitted zone…: Use when the zone’s KSK rollover is in submittion phase. By calling this command the user confirms manually that the parent zone contains DS record for the new KSK in submission phase and the old KSK can be retired.
zone-freeze [zone…]: Temporarily postpone zone-changing events (load, refresh, update, flush, and DNSSEC signing).
zone-thaw [zone…]: Dismiss zone freeze.
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… [filter…]: Purge zone data, zone file, journal, timers, and/or KASP data of specified zones. Available filters are +expire, +zonefile, +journal, +timers, and +kaspdb. If no filter is specified, all filters are enabled. If the zone is no longer configured, add +orphan filter (zone file cannot be purged in this case).
zone-stats zone [module[.counter]]: Show zone statistics counter(s). To print also counters with value 0, use force option.
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 or stdout. (*)
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