7.7. Additional Resources

The following sources of information provide additional resources regarding BIND.

7.7.1. Installed Documentation

BIND features a full range of installed documentation covering many different topics, each placed in its own subject directory. For each item below, replace <version-number> with the version of bind installed on the system:

/usr/share/doc/bind-<version-number>/: This directory lists the most recent features.
/usr/share/doc/bind-<version-number>/arm/: This directory contains the BIND 9 Administrator Reference Manual in HTML and SGML formats, which details BIND resource requirements, how to configure different types of nameservers, how to perform load balancing, and other advanced topics. For most new users of BIND, this is the best place to start.
/usr/share/doc/bind-<version-number>/draft/: This directory contains assorted technical documents that review issues related to DNS service and propose some methods to address them.
/usr/share/doc/bind-<version-number>/misc/: This directory contains documents designed to address specific advanced issues. Users of BIND version 8 should consult the migration document for specific changes they must make when moving to BIND 9. The options file lists all of the options implemented in BIND 9 that are used in /etc/named.conf.
/usr/share/doc/bind-<version-number>/rfc/: This directory provides every RFC document related to BIND.

There are also a number of man pages for the various applications and configuration files involved with BIND. The following lists some of the more important man pages.

Administrative Applications

man rndc — Explains the different options available when using the rndc command to control a BIND nameserver.

Server Applications

man named — Explores assorted arguments that can be used to control the BIND nameserver daemon.
man lwresd — Describes the purpose of and options available for the lightweight resolver daemon.

Configuration Files

man named.conf — A comprehensive list of options available within the named configuration file.
man rndc.conf — A comprehensive list of options available within the rndc configuration file.