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https://github.com/davebarr/dnswalk

A DNS database debugger
https://github.com/davebarr/dnswalk

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A DNS database debugger

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README 

        
		dnswalk 2.0 - August 4, 1997



Author: David Barr 

$Id: README,v 1.6 1997/08/04 19:09:34 barr Exp barr $



INTRO



dnswalk is a DNS debugger.  It performs zone transfers of specified

domains, and checks the database in numerous ways for internal

consistency, as well as accuracy.



dnswalk requires perl and the Net::DNS Perl package.  If you do not have

these, get them.  (perl is assumed to be in /usr/local/bin, edit the first

line of dnswalk if it is not)



They can be found by at:

http://www.perl.com/perl/



dnswalk used to require 'dig' (part of the BIND distribution).  However,

different versions of dig gave output which was ever so slightly different,

causing dnswalk to break.  (This is usually easy to fix, even in a

backward-compatible fashion, but it was annoying nonetheless)  Also,

using an external program made error checking more difficult and not

very reliable.  Since error checking is the heart of what dnswalk is about,

this wasn't good.  I finally got off my duff and ported dnswalk to Michael

Fuhr's Net::DNS package, something I've been wanting to do for a while.

(actually another reason I waited so long was the Net::DNS package wasn't

complete enough initially for for a complete port.)



	dnswalk is not for the faint of heart.  It should NOT be used

without a firm knowledge of the DNS RFC's.  The warnings and errors

must be interpreted within the context they are being used.  Something

may be flagged as a warning, but in reality it is a really bad error.

Conversely dnswalk will flag things as warnings and possibly even

errors, but they may actually be perfectly "legal" or normal in your

specific situation.  dnswalk is not an AI engine.  It just provides

useful information which you need to interpret. If you use this tool

for cracking or otherwise evil purposes, the author hereby considers

you a slime-ball.  See the end of this README file for a list of good

reading material.



	dnswalk is not a replacement for doc, although dnswalk is starting

to incorporate some of the things doc checks for.  dnswalk was written to

check individual database entries, while 'doc' ensures that the overall

database structure and authority records are consistent.  dnswalk may

not even function correctly (or find real problems) if authority records

are missing or incorrect.



	This program may be freely distributed, as long as this notice

and documentation are distributed with the program.  This program is

released as-is, with no warranty expressed or implied.  Some assembly

required, contents may settle during shipment.  This program can be

found at



http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/~barr/dnswalk/



	dnswalk tends to produce lots of output, so I'd suggest

redirecting this into a file of your choice.  I debated using doc's

strategy of automatically putting it in a logfile, but decided not

to.  (The author reserves the right to change his mind)  For small,

mostly-correct domains it is pretty manageable, however.  For larger

domains, use the included 'do-dnswalk' script as a guide.



Please refer to the man page on what dnswalk checks for, and

the format of the output.



*** NOTICE ***

	I fully realize that while some of the rules are not in

violation of an RFC, it might be wise to reconsider their usage

anyway.  dnswalk was written to be a tool to let the hostmaster decide

what are troublesome areas, not as a program that has all the answers.

*** NOTICE ***



This program was originally tested with data from the psu.edu domain.

If your site does things differently than the way we do things, then you

may see it report things as errors, when in fact they are "okay".

If you notice something not being reported, or something reported that

is not an error, please send me output!  I fully admit that I'm not

an expert in DNS and the requirements.  My rules tend to be skewed to

my personal feelings about what "nice" DNS databases look like.  Others

are free to differ.  (and tell me so)



Author:

David Barr 

Lead System Administrator

The Ohio State University, Department of Computer and Information Science



Thanks:



Bill Fenner - tips with perl

Michael Fuhr - for writing Net::DNS!

Dave Crocker - for providing the spark necessary for me to pick up

developement of dnswalk-2.0 again.