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host-991529: description + notes

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To avoid conflicts with the host command in fw_bind and fw_bind9, this package installs as host-loc.

This is a completely new version of host, a nameserver query utility a la nslookup and dig, but much more versatile and robust. It is used for the RIPE monthly European hostcount survey. host supports RFC1876 ("LOC") information.

Among the new features are:

• Extensive error checking.
• Optionally (very) verbose output and debugging info.
• Checking for extraneous conditions during zone listings such as non-authoritative glue records and lame delegations.
• Checking for illegal characters in certain domain names.
• Checking for dangling CNAME pointers without RR records.
• Verify that some host-related domain names are canonical.
• Perform ttl consistency checking during zone listings.
• Recursive traversion of delegated zones up to a given level.
• Maintaining of resource record and host count statistics.
• Option to check reverse mappings of host addresses.
• Option to compare SOA records at the primary and secondary nameservers of a zone to check for anomalies such as out-of-sync serial numbers, and other discrepancies.
• Recognition of many new RR types as defined by latest RFCs.
• Allow multiple arguments on command line or from stdin.
• Configurable default options via an environment variable.
• Anticipate non-BIND behaviour during zone listings.
• Facility to maintain local disk cache files for zone data.

And many more; see the manual page, the RELEASE NOTES, and the extensively documented code for details.

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To auto-install this package, go back and click on the respective install icon.

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