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42 <div class="refentry" lang="en">
43 <a name="man.dnssec-keygen"></a><div class="titlepage"></div>
44 <div class="refnamediv">
46 <p><span class="application">dnssec-keygen</span> — DNSSEC key generation tool</p>
48 <div class="refsynopsisdiv">
50 <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">-e</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">-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>
52 <div class="refsect1" lang="en">
53 <a name="id2613979"></a><h2>DESCRIPTION</h2>
54 <p><span><strong class="command">dnssec-keygen</strong></span>
55 generates keys for DNSSEC (Secure DNS), as defined in RFC 2535
56 and RFC 4034. It can also generate keys for use with
57 TSIG (Transaction Signatures) as defined in RFC 2845, or TKEY
58 (Transaction Key) as defined in RFC 2930.
61 The <code class="option">name</code> of the key is specified on the command
62 line. For DNSSEC keys, this must match the name of the zone for
63 which the key is being generated.
66 <div class="refsect1" lang="en">
67 <a name="id2614068"></a><h2>OPTIONS</h2>
68 <div class="variablelist"><dl>
69 <dt><span class="term">-a <em class="replaceable"><code>algorithm</code></em></span></dt>
72 Selects the cryptographic algorithm. For DNSSEC keys, the value
73 of <code class="option">algorithm</code> must be one of RSAMD5, RSASHA1,
74 DSA, NSEC3RSASHA1, NSEC3DSA, RSASHA256, RSASHA512, ECCGOST,
75 ECDSAP256SHA256 or ECDSAP384SHA384.
76 For TSIG/TKEY, the value must
77 be DH (Diffie Hellman), HMAC-MD5, HMAC-SHA1, HMAC-SHA224,
78 HMAC-SHA256, HMAC-SHA384, or HMAC-SHA512. These values are
82 If no algorithm is specified, then RSASHA1 will be used by
83 default, unless the <code class="option">-3</code> option is specified,
84 in which case NSEC3RSASHA1 will be used instead. (If
85 <code class="option">-3</code> is used and an algorithm is specified,
86 that algorithm will be checked for compatibility with NSEC3.)
89 Note 1: that for DNSSEC, RSASHA1 is a mandatory to implement
90 algorithm, and DSA is recommended. For TSIG, HMAC-MD5 is
94 Note 2: DH, HMAC-MD5, and HMAC-SHA1 through HMAC-SHA512
95 automatically set the -T KEY option.
98 <dt><span class="term">-b <em class="replaceable"><code>keysize</code></em></span></dt>
101 Specifies the number of bits in the key. The choice of key
102 size depends on the algorithm used. RSA keys must be
103 between 512 and 2048 bits. Diffie Hellman keys must be between
104 128 and 4096 bits. DSA keys must be between 512 and 1024
105 bits and an exact multiple of 64. HMAC keys must be
106 between 1 and 512 bits. Elliptic curve algorithms don't need
110 The key size does not need to be specified if using a default
111 algorithm. The default key size is 1024 bits for zone signing
112 keys (ZSK's) and 2048 bits for key signing keys (KSK's,
113 generated with <code class="option">-f KSK</code>). However, if an
114 algorithm is explicitly specified with the <code class="option">-a</code>,
115 then there is no default key size, and the <code class="option">-b</code>
119 <dt><span class="term">-n <em class="replaceable"><code>nametype</code></em></span></dt>
121 Specifies the owner type of the key. The value of
122 <code class="option">nametype</code> must either be ZONE (for a DNSSEC
123 zone key (KEY/DNSKEY)), HOST or ENTITY (for a key associated with
125 USER (for a key associated with a user(KEY)) or OTHER (DNSKEY).
126 These values are case insensitive. Defaults to ZONE for DNSKEY
129 <dt><span class="term">-3</span></dt>
131 Use an NSEC3-capable algorithm to generate a DNSSEC key.
132 If this option is used and no algorithm is explicitly
133 set on the command line, NSEC3RSASHA1 will be used by
134 default. Note that RSASHA256, RSASHA512, ECCGOST,
135 ECDSAP256SHA256 and ECDSAP384SHA384 algorithms
138 <dt><span class="term">-C</span></dt>
140 Compatibility mode: generates an old-style key, without
141 any metadata. By default, <span><strong class="command">dnssec-keygen</strong></span>
142 will include the key's creation date in the metadata stored
143 with the private key, and other dates may be set there as well
144 (publication date, activation date, etc). Keys that include
145 this data may be incompatible with older versions of BIND; the
146 <code class="option">-C</code> option suppresses them.
148 <dt><span class="term">-c <em class="replaceable"><code>class</code></em></span></dt>
150 Indicates that the DNS record containing the key should have
151 the specified class. If not specified, class IN is used.
153 <dt><span class="term">-E <em class="replaceable"><code>engine</code></em></span></dt>
155 Uses a crypto hardware (OpenSSL engine) for random number
156 and, when supported, key generation. When compiled with PKCS#11
157 support it defaults to pkcs11; the empty name resets it to
160 <dt><span class="term">-e</span></dt>
162 If generating an RSAMD5/RSASHA1 key, use a large exponent.
164 <dt><span class="term">-f <em class="replaceable"><code>flag</code></em></span></dt>
166 Set the specified flag in the flag field of the KEY/DNSKEY record.
167 The only recognized flags are KSK (Key Signing Key) and REVOKE.
169 <dt><span class="term">-G</span></dt>
171 Generate a key, but do not publish it or sign with it. This
172 option is incompatible with -P and -A.
174 <dt><span class="term">-g <em class="replaceable"><code>generator</code></em></span></dt>
176 If generating a Diffie Hellman key, use this generator.
177 Allowed values are 2 and 5. If no generator
178 is specified, a known prime from RFC 2539 will be used
179 if possible; otherwise the default is 2.
181 <dt><span class="term">-h</span></dt>
183 Prints a short summary of the options and arguments to
184 <span><strong class="command">dnssec-keygen</strong></span>.
186 <dt><span class="term">-K <em class="replaceable"><code>directory</code></em></span></dt>
188 Sets the directory in which the key files are to be written.
190 <dt><span class="term">-k</span></dt>
192 Deprecated in favor of -T KEY.
194 <dt><span class="term">-p <em class="replaceable"><code>protocol</code></em></span></dt>
196 Sets the protocol value for the generated key. The protocol
197 is a number between 0 and 255. The default is 3 (DNSSEC).
198 Other possible values for this argument are listed in
199 RFC 2535 and its successors.
201 <dt><span class="term">-q</span></dt>
203 Quiet mode: Suppresses unnecessary output, including
204 progress indication. Without this option, when
205 <span><strong class="command">dnssec-keygen</strong></span> is run interactively
206 to generate an RSA or DSA key pair, it will print a string
207 of symbols to <code class="filename">stderr</code> indicating the
208 progress of the key generation. A '.' indicates that a
209 random number has been found which passed an initial
210 sieve test; '+' means a number has passed a single
211 round of the Miller-Rabin primality test; a space
212 means that the number has passed all the tests and is
215 <dt><span class="term">-r <em class="replaceable"><code>randomdev</code></em></span></dt>
217 Specifies the source of randomness. If the operating
218 system does not provide a <code class="filename">/dev/random</code>
219 or equivalent device, the default source of randomness
220 is keyboard input. <code class="filename">randomdev</code>
222 the name of a character device or file containing random
223 data to be used instead of the default. The special value
224 <code class="filename">keyboard</code> indicates that keyboard
225 input should be used.
227 <dt><span class="term">-S <em class="replaceable"><code>key</code></em></span></dt>
229 Create a new key which is an explicit successor to an
230 existing key. The name, algorithm, size, and type of the
231 key will be set to match the existing key. The activation
232 date of the new key will be set to the inactivation date of
233 the existing one. The publication date will be set to the
234 activation date minus the prepublication interval, which
237 <dt><span class="term">-s <em class="replaceable"><code>strength</code></em></span></dt>
239 Specifies the strength value of the key. The strength is
240 a number between 0 and 15, and currently has no defined
243 <dt><span class="term">-T <em class="replaceable"><code>rrtype</code></em></span></dt>
246 Specifies the resource record type to use for the key.
247 <code class="option">rrtype</code> must be either DNSKEY or KEY. The
248 default is DNSKEY when using a DNSSEC algorithm, but it can be
249 overridden to KEY for use with SIG(0).
254 Using any TSIG algorithm (HMAC-* or DH) forces this option
258 <dt><span class="term">-t <em class="replaceable"><code>type</code></em></span></dt>
260 Indicates the use of the key. <code class="option">type</code> must be
261 one of AUTHCONF, NOAUTHCONF, NOAUTH, or NOCONF. The default
262 is AUTHCONF. AUTH refers to the ability to authenticate
263 data, and CONF the ability to encrypt data.
265 <dt><span class="term">-v <em class="replaceable"><code>level</code></em></span></dt>
267 Sets the debugging level.
271 <div class="refsect1" lang="en">
272 <a name="id2666124"></a><h2>TIMING OPTIONS</h2>
274 Dates can be expressed in the format YYYYMMDD or YYYYMMDDHHMMSS.
275 If the argument begins with a '+' or '-', it is interpreted as
276 an offset from the present time. For convenience, if such an offset
277 is followed by one of the suffixes 'y', 'mo', 'w', 'd', 'h', or 'mi',
278 then the offset is computed in years (defined as 365 24-hour days,
279 ignoring leap years), months (defined as 30 24-hour days), weeks,
280 days, hours, or minutes, respectively. Without a suffix, the offset
281 is computed in seconds.
283 <div class="variablelist"><dl>
284 <dt><span class="term">-P <em class="replaceable"><code>date/offset</code></em></span></dt>
286 Sets the date on which a key is to be published to the zone.
287 After that date, the key will be included in the zone but will
288 not be used to sign it. If not set, and if the -G option has
289 not been used, the default is "now".
291 <dt><span class="term">-A <em class="replaceable"><code>date/offset</code></em></span></dt>
293 Sets the date on which the key is to be activated. After that
294 date, the key will be included in the zone and used to sign
295 it. If not set, and if the -G option has not been used, the
298 <dt><span class="term">-R <em class="replaceable"><code>date/offset</code></em></span></dt>
300 Sets the date on which the key is to be revoked. After that
301 date, the key will be flagged as revoked. It will be included
302 in the zone and will be used to sign it.
304 <dt><span class="term">-I <em class="replaceable"><code>date/offset</code></em></span></dt>
306 Sets the date on which the key is to be retired. After that
307 date, the key will still be included in the zone, but it
308 will not be used to sign it.
310 <dt><span class="term">-D <em class="replaceable"><code>date/offset</code></em></span></dt>
312 Sets the date on which the key is to be deleted. After that
313 date, the key will no longer be included in the zone. (It
314 may remain in the key repository, however.)
316 <dt><span class="term">-i <em class="replaceable"><code>interval</code></em></span></dt>
319 Sets the prepublication interval for a key. If set, then
320 the publication and activation dates must be separated by at least
321 this much time. If the activation date is specified but the
322 publication date isn't, then the publication date will default
323 to this much time before the activation date; conversely, if
324 the publication date is specified but activation date isn't,
325 then activation will be set to this much time after publication.
328 If the key is being created as an explicit successor to another
329 key, then the default prepublication interval is 30 days;
330 otherwise it is zero.
333 As with date offsets, if the argument is followed by one of
334 the suffixes 'y', 'mo', 'w', 'd', 'h', or 'mi', then the
335 interval is measured in years, months, weeks, days, hours,
336 or minutes, respectively. Without a suffix, the interval is
342 <div class="refsect1" lang="en">
343 <a name="id2666314"></a><h2>GENERATED KEYS</h2>
345 When <span><strong class="command">dnssec-keygen</strong></span> completes
347 it prints a string of the form <code class="filename">Knnnn.+aaa+iiiii</code>
348 to the standard output. This is an identification string for
349 the key it has generated.
351 <div class="itemizedlist"><ul type="disc">
352 <li><p><code class="filename">nnnn</code> is the key name.
354 <li><p><code class="filename">aaa</code> is the numeric representation
358 <li><p><code class="filename">iiiii</code> is the key identifier (or
362 <p><span><strong class="command">dnssec-keygen</strong></span>
363 creates two files, with names based
364 on the printed string. <code class="filename">Knnnn.+aaa+iiiii.key</code>
365 contains the public key, and
366 <code class="filename">Knnnn.+aaa+iiiii.private</code> contains the
371 The <code class="filename">.key</code> file contains a DNS KEY record
373 can be inserted into a zone file (directly or with a $INCLUDE
377 The <code class="filename">.private</code> file contains
379 fields. For obvious security reasons, this file does not have
380 general read permission.
383 Both <code class="filename">.key</code> and <code class="filename">.private</code>
384 files are generated for symmetric encryption algorithms such as
385 HMAC-MD5, even though the public and private key are equivalent.
388 <div class="refsect1" lang="en">
389 <a name="id2666422"></a><h2>EXAMPLE</h2>
391 To generate a 768-bit DSA key for the domain
392 <strong class="userinput"><code>example.com</code></strong>, the following command would be
395 <p><strong class="userinput"><code>dnssec-keygen -a DSA -b 768 -n ZONE example.com</code></strong>
398 The command would print a string of the form:
400 <p><strong class="userinput"><code>Kexample.com.+003+26160</code></strong>
403 In this example, <span><strong class="command">dnssec-keygen</strong></span> creates
404 the files <code class="filename">Kexample.com.+003+26160.key</code>
406 <code class="filename">Kexample.com.+003+26160.private</code>.
409 <div class="refsect1" lang="en">
410 <a name="id2666478"></a><h2>SEE ALSO</h2>
411 <p><span class="citerefentry"><span class="refentrytitle">dnssec-signzone</span>(8)</span>,
412 <em class="citetitle">BIND 9 Administrator Reference Manual</em>,
413 <em class="citetitle">RFC 2539</em>,
414 <em class="citetitle">RFC 2845</em>,
415 <em class="citetitle">RFC 4034</em>.
418 <div class="refsect1" lang="en">
419 <a name="id2666509"></a><h2>AUTHOR</h2>
420 <p><span class="corpauthor">Internet Systems Consortium</span>
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