nslookup Command
Purpose
Queries internet domain name servers interactively.
Syntax
nslookup [ - option ] [ name | - ] [ server ]
Description
The nslookup command queries internet domain name servers in two modes. Interactive mode allows you to query name servers for information about various hosts and domains, or to print a list of the hosts in a domain. In noninteractive mode, the names and requested information are printed for a specified host or domain.
The nslookup command
enters interactive mode when no arguments are given, or when the first
argument is a - (minus sign) and the second argument is the host name
or internet address of a name server. When no arguments are given,
the command queries the default name server. The nslookup command
enters non-interactive mode when you give the name or internet address
of the host to be looked up as the first argument. The optional second
argument specifies the host name or address of a name server. You
can specify options on the command line if they precede the arguments
and are prefixed with a hyphen. For example, to change the default
query type to host information, and the initial timeout to 10 seconds,
enter the following command:
nslookup -query=hinfo -timeout=10
Interactive commands
Item | Description |
---|---|
host [server] | Looks up information for the host using the current default server or using server, if specified. If the host is an Internet address and the query type is A or PTR, the nslookup command returns the name of the host. If the host is a name and does not have a trailing period, the search list is used to qualify the name. To look up a host not in the current domain, append a period to the name. |
server Domain lserver Domain | Changes the default server to the value specified by the Domain parameter. The lserver subcommand uses the initial server to look up information about the domain. The server subcommand uses the current default server. If an authoritative answer cannot be found, the names of any additional servers that might have the answer are returned. |
exit | Exits the program. |
set Keyword[=Value] | Changes state information that affects lookups. You can specify the following keywords:
|
Files
Item | Description |
---|---|
/etc/resolv.conf | Contains the initial domain name and nameserver addresses. |
nslookup command - BIND 9.16
For a complete description, see the nslookup command in the BIND 9.16 Administrator Reference Manual.