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24 <body bgcolor="white" text="black" link="#0000FF" vlink="#840084" alink="#0000FF"><div class="refentry" lang="en">
25 <a name="man.dnssec-keygen"></a><div class="titlepage"></div>
26 <div class="refnamediv">
28 <p><span class="application">dnssec-keygen</span> — DNSSEC key generation tool</p>
30 <div class="refsynopsisdiv">
32 <div class="cmdsynopsis"><p><code class="command">dnssec-keygen</code> [<code class="option">-a <em class="replaceable"><code>algorithm</code></em></code>] [<code class="option">-b <em class="replaceable"><code>keysize</code></em></code>] [<code class="option">-n <em class="replaceable"><code>nametype</code></em></code>] [<code class="option">-3</code>] [<code class="option">-A <em class="replaceable"><code>date/offset</code></em></code>] [<code class="option">-C</code>] [<code class="option">-c <em class="replaceable"><code>class</code></em></code>] [<code class="option">-D <em class="replaceable"><code>date/offset</code></em></code>] [<code class="option">-E <em class="replaceable"><code>engine</code></em></code>] [<code class="option">-f <em class="replaceable"><code>flag</code></em></code>] [<code class="option">-G</code>] [<code class="option">-g <em class="replaceable"><code>generator</code></em></code>] [<code class="option">-h</code>] [<code class="option">-I <em class="replaceable"><code>date/offset</code></em></code>] [<code class="option">-i <em class="replaceable"><code>interval</code></em></code>] [<code class="option">-K <em class="replaceable"><code>directory</code></em></code>] [<code class="option">-L <em class="replaceable"><code>ttl</code></em></code>] [<code class="option">-k</code>] [<code class="option">-P <em class="replaceable"><code>date/offset</code></em></code>] [<code class="option">-p <em class="replaceable"><code>protocol</code></em></code>] [<code class="option">-q</code>] [<code class="option">-R <em class="replaceable"><code>date/offset</code></em></code>] [<code class="option">-r <em class="replaceable"><code>randomdev</code></em></code>] [<code class="option">-S <em class="replaceable"><code>key</code></em></code>] [<code class="option">-s <em class="replaceable"><code>strength</code></em></code>] [<code class="option">-t <em class="replaceable"><code>type</code></em></code>] [<code class="option">-v <em class="replaceable"><code>level</code></em></code>] [<code class="option">-z</code>] {name}</p></div>
34 <div class="refsect1" lang="en">
35 <a name="id2543590"></a><h2>DESCRIPTION</h2>
36 <p><span><strong class="command">dnssec-keygen</strong></span>
37 generates keys for DNSSEC (Secure DNS), as defined in RFC 2535
38 and RFC 4034. It can also generate keys for use with
39 TSIG (Transaction Signatures) as defined in RFC 2845, or TKEY
40 (Transaction Key) as defined in RFC 2930.
43 The <code class="option">name</code> of the key is specified on the command
44 line. For DNSSEC keys, this must match the name of the zone for
45 which the key is being generated.
48 <div class="refsect1" lang="en">
49 <a name="id2543608"></a><h2>OPTIONS</h2>
50 <div class="variablelist"><dl>
51 <dt><span class="term">-a <em class="replaceable"><code>algorithm</code></em></span></dt>
54 Selects the cryptographic algorithm. For DNSSEC keys, the value
55 of <code class="option">algorithm</code> must be one of RSAMD5, RSASHA1,
56 DSA, NSEC3RSASHA1, NSEC3DSA, RSASHA256, RSASHA512, ECCGOST,
57 ECDSAP256SHA256 or ECDSAP384SHA384.
58 For TSIG/TKEY, the value must
59 be DH (Diffie Hellman), HMAC-MD5, HMAC-SHA1, HMAC-SHA224,
60 HMAC-SHA256, HMAC-SHA384, or HMAC-SHA512. These values are
64 If no algorithm is specified, then RSASHA1 will be used by
65 default, unless the <code class="option">-3</code> option is specified,
66 in which case NSEC3RSASHA1 will be used instead. (If
67 <code class="option">-3</code> is used and an algorithm is specified,
68 that algorithm will be checked for compatibility with NSEC3.)
71 Note 1: that for DNSSEC, RSASHA1 is a mandatory to implement
72 algorithm, and DSA is recommended. For TSIG, HMAC-MD5 is
76 Note 2: DH, HMAC-MD5, and HMAC-SHA1 through HMAC-SHA512
77 automatically set the -T KEY option.
80 <dt><span class="term">-b <em class="replaceable"><code>keysize</code></em></span></dt>
83 Specifies the number of bits in the key. The choice of key
84 size depends on the algorithm used. RSA keys must be
85 between 512 and 2048 bits. Diffie Hellman keys must be between
86 128 and 4096 bits. DSA keys must be between 512 and 1024
87 bits and an exact multiple of 64. HMAC keys must be
88 between 1 and 512 bits. Elliptic curve algorithms don't need
92 The key size does not need to be specified if using a default
93 algorithm. The default key size is 1024 bits for zone signing
94 keys (ZSK's) and 2048 bits for key signing keys (KSK's,
95 generated with <code class="option">-f KSK</code>). However, if an
96 algorithm is explicitly specified with the <code class="option">-a</code>,
97 then there is no default key size, and the <code class="option">-b</code>
101 <dt><span class="term">-n <em class="replaceable"><code>nametype</code></em></span></dt>
103 Specifies the owner type of the key. The value of
104 <code class="option">nametype</code> must either be ZONE (for a DNSSEC
105 zone key (KEY/DNSKEY)), HOST or ENTITY (for a key associated with
107 USER (for a key associated with a user(KEY)) or OTHER (DNSKEY).
108 These values are case insensitive. Defaults to ZONE for DNSKEY
111 <dt><span class="term">-3</span></dt>
113 Use an NSEC3-capable algorithm to generate a DNSSEC key.
114 If this option is used and no algorithm is explicitly
115 set on the command line, NSEC3RSASHA1 will be used by
116 default. Note that RSASHA256, RSASHA512, ECCGOST,
117 ECDSAP256SHA256 and ECDSAP384SHA384 algorithms
120 <dt><span class="term">-C</span></dt>
122 Compatibility mode: generates an old-style key, without
123 any metadata. By default, <span><strong class="command">dnssec-keygen</strong></span>
124 will include the key's creation date in the metadata stored
125 with the private key, and other dates may be set there as well
126 (publication date, activation date, etc). Keys that include
127 this data may be incompatible with older versions of BIND; the
128 <code class="option">-C</code> option suppresses them.
130 <dt><span class="term">-c <em class="replaceable"><code>class</code></em></span></dt>
132 Indicates that the DNS record containing the key should have
133 the specified class. If not specified, class IN is used.
135 <dt><span class="term">-E <em class="replaceable"><code>engine</code></em></span></dt>
137 Uses a crypto hardware (OpenSSL engine) for random number
138 and, when supported, key generation. When compiled with PKCS#11
139 support it defaults to pkcs11; the empty name resets it to
142 <dt><span class="term">-f <em class="replaceable"><code>flag</code></em></span></dt>
144 Set the specified flag in the flag field of the KEY/DNSKEY record.
145 The only recognized flags are KSK (Key Signing Key) and REVOKE.
147 <dt><span class="term">-G</span></dt>
149 Generate a key, but do not publish it or sign with it. This
150 option is incompatible with -P and -A.
152 <dt><span class="term">-g <em class="replaceable"><code>generator</code></em></span></dt>
154 If generating a Diffie Hellman key, use this generator.
155 Allowed values are 2 and 5. If no generator
156 is specified, a known prime from RFC 2539 will be used
157 if possible; otherwise the default is 2.
159 <dt><span class="term">-h</span></dt>
161 Prints a short summary of the options and arguments to
162 <span><strong class="command">dnssec-keygen</strong></span>.
164 <dt><span class="term">-K <em class="replaceable"><code>directory</code></em></span></dt>
166 Sets the directory in which the key files are to be written.
168 <dt><span class="term">-k</span></dt>
170 Deprecated in favor of -T KEY.
172 <dt><span class="term">-L <em class="replaceable"><code>ttl</code></em></span></dt>
174 Sets the default TTL to use for this key when it is converted
175 into a DNSKEY RR. If the key is imported into a zone,
176 this is the TTL that will be used for it, unless there was
177 already a DNSKEY RRset in place, in which case the existing TTL
178 would take precedence. Setting the default TTL to
179 <code class="literal">0</code> or <code class="literal">none</code> removes it.
181 <dt><span class="term">-p <em class="replaceable"><code>protocol</code></em></span></dt>
183 Sets the protocol value for the generated key. The protocol
184 is a number between 0 and 255. The default is 3 (DNSSEC).
185 Other possible values for this argument are listed in
186 RFC 2535 and its successors.
188 <dt><span class="term">-q</span></dt>
190 Quiet mode: Suppresses unnecessary output, including
191 progress indication. Without this option, when
192 <span><strong class="command">dnssec-keygen</strong></span> is run interactively
193 to generate an RSA or DSA key pair, it will print a string
194 of symbols to <code class="filename">stderr</code> indicating the
195 progress of the key generation. A '.' indicates that a
196 random number has been found which passed an initial
197 sieve test; '+' means a number has passed a single
198 round of the Miller-Rabin primality test; a space
199 means that the number has passed all the tests and is
202 <dt><span class="term">-r <em class="replaceable"><code>randomdev</code></em></span></dt>
204 Specifies the source of randomness. If the operating
205 system does not provide a <code class="filename">/dev/random</code>
206 or equivalent device, the default source of randomness
207 is keyboard input. <code class="filename">randomdev</code>
209 the name of a character device or file containing random
210 data to be used instead of the default. The special value
211 <code class="filename">keyboard</code> indicates that keyboard
212 input should be used.
214 <dt><span class="term">-S <em class="replaceable"><code>key</code></em></span></dt>
216 Create a new key which is an explicit successor to an
217 existing key. The name, algorithm, size, and type of the
218 key will be set to match the existing key. The activation
219 date of the new key will be set to the inactivation date of
220 the existing one. The publication date will be set to the
221 activation date minus the prepublication interval, which
224 <dt><span class="term">-s <em class="replaceable"><code>strength</code></em></span></dt>
226 Specifies the strength value of the key. The strength is
227 a number between 0 and 15, and currently has no defined
230 <dt><span class="term">-T <em class="replaceable"><code>rrtype</code></em></span></dt>
233 Specifies the resource record type to use for the key.
234 <code class="option">rrtype</code> must be either DNSKEY or KEY. The
235 default is DNSKEY when using a DNSSEC algorithm, but it can be
236 overridden to KEY for use with SIG(0).
241 Using any TSIG algorithm (HMAC-* or DH) forces this option
245 <dt><span class="term">-t <em class="replaceable"><code>type</code></em></span></dt>
247 Indicates the use of the key. <code class="option">type</code> must be
248 one of AUTHCONF, NOAUTHCONF, NOAUTH, or NOCONF. The default
249 is AUTHCONF. AUTH refers to the ability to authenticate
250 data, and CONF the ability to encrypt data.
252 <dt><span class="term">-v <em class="replaceable"><code>level</code></em></span></dt>
254 Sets the debugging level.
258 <div class="refsect1" lang="en">
259 <a name="id2544187"></a><h2>TIMING OPTIONS</h2>
261 Dates can be expressed in the format YYYYMMDD or YYYYMMDDHHMMSS.
262 If the argument begins with a '+' or '-', it is interpreted as
263 an offset from the present time. For convenience, if such an offset
264 is followed by one of the suffixes 'y', 'mo', 'w', 'd', 'h', or 'mi',
265 then the offset is computed in years (defined as 365 24-hour days,
266 ignoring leap years), months (defined as 30 24-hour days), weeks,
267 days, hours, or minutes, respectively. Without a suffix, the offset
268 is computed in seconds.
270 <div class="variablelist"><dl>
271 <dt><span class="term">-P <em class="replaceable"><code>date/offset</code></em></span></dt>
273 Sets the date on which a key is to be published to the zone.
274 After that date, the key will be included in the zone but will
275 not be used to sign it. If not set, and if the -G option has
276 not been used, the default is "now".
278 <dt><span class="term">-A <em class="replaceable"><code>date/offset</code></em></span></dt>
280 Sets the date on which the key is to be activated. After that
281 date, the key will be included in the zone and used to sign
282 it. If not set, and if the -G option has not been used, the
285 <dt><span class="term">-R <em class="replaceable"><code>date/offset</code></em></span></dt>
287 Sets the date on which the key is to be revoked. After that
288 date, the key will be flagged as revoked. It will be included
289 in the zone and will be used to sign it.
291 <dt><span class="term">-I <em class="replaceable"><code>date/offset</code></em></span></dt>
293 Sets the date on which the key is to be retired. After that
294 date, the key will still be included in the zone, but it
295 will not be used to sign it.
297 <dt><span class="term">-D <em class="replaceable"><code>date/offset</code></em></span></dt>
299 Sets the date on which the key is to be deleted. After that
300 date, the key will no longer be included in the zone. (It
301 may remain in the key repository, however.)
303 <dt><span class="term">-i <em class="replaceable"><code>interval</code></em></span></dt>
306 Sets the prepublication interval for a key. If set, then
307 the publication and activation dates must be separated by at least
308 this much time. If the activation date is specified but the
309 publication date isn't, then the publication date will default
310 to this much time before the activation date; conversely, if
311 the publication date is specified but activation date isn't,
312 then activation will be set to this much time after publication.
315 If the key is being created as an explicit successor to another
316 key, then the default prepublication interval is 30 days;
317 otherwise it is zero.
320 As with date offsets, if the argument is followed by one of
321 the suffixes 'y', 'mo', 'w', 'd', 'h', or 'mi', then the
322 interval is measured in years, months, weeks, days, hours,
323 or minutes, respectively. Without a suffix, the interval is
329 <div class="refsect1" lang="en">
330 <a name="id2544377"></a><h2>GENERATED KEYS</h2>
332 When <span><strong class="command">dnssec-keygen</strong></span> completes
334 it prints a string of the form <code class="filename">Knnnn.+aaa+iiiii</code>
335 to the standard output. This is an identification string for
336 the key it has generated.
338 <div class="itemizedlist"><ul type="disc">
339 <li><p><code class="filename">nnnn</code> is the key name.
341 <li><p><code class="filename">aaa</code> is the numeric representation
345 <li><p><code class="filename">iiiii</code> is the key identifier (or
349 <p><span><strong class="command">dnssec-keygen</strong></span>
350 creates two files, with names based
351 on the printed string. <code class="filename">Knnnn.+aaa+iiiii.key</code>
352 contains the public key, and
353 <code class="filename">Knnnn.+aaa+iiiii.private</code> contains the
358 The <code class="filename">.key</code> file contains a DNS KEY record
360 can be inserted into a zone file (directly or with a $INCLUDE
364 The <code class="filename">.private</code> file contains
366 fields. For obvious security reasons, this file does not have
367 general read permission.
370 Both <code class="filename">.key</code> and <code class="filename">.private</code>
371 files are generated for symmetric encryption algorithms such as
372 HMAC-MD5, even though the public and private key are equivalent.
375 <div class="refsect1" lang="en">
376 <a name="id2544459"></a><h2>EXAMPLE</h2>
378 To generate a 768-bit DSA key for the domain
379 <strong class="userinput"><code>example.com</code></strong>, the following command would be
382 <p><strong class="userinput"><code>dnssec-keygen -a DSA -b 768 -n ZONE example.com</code></strong>
385 The command would print a string of the form:
387 <p><strong class="userinput"><code>Kexample.com.+003+26160</code></strong>
390 In this example, <span><strong class="command">dnssec-keygen</strong></span> creates
391 the files <code class="filename">Kexample.com.+003+26160.key</code>
393 <code class="filename">Kexample.com.+003+26160.private</code>.
396 <div class="refsect1" lang="en">
397 <a name="id2544571"></a><h2>SEE ALSO</h2>
398 <p><span class="citerefentry"><span class="refentrytitle">dnssec-signzone</span>(8)</span>,
399 <em class="citetitle">BIND 9 Administrator Reference Manual</em>,
400 <em class="citetitle">RFC 2539</em>,
401 <em class="citetitle">RFC 2845</em>,
402 <em class="citetitle">RFC 4034</em>.
405 <div class="refsect1" lang="en">
406 <a name="id2544602"></a><h2>AUTHOR</h2>
407 <p><span class="corpauthor">Internet Systems Consortium</span>