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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">-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>
34 <div class="refsect1" lang="en">
35 <a name="id2543582"></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="id2543601"></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">-e</span></dt>
144 If generating an RSAMD5/RSASHA1 key, use a large exponent.
146 <dt><span class="term">-f <em class="replaceable"><code>flag</code></em></span></dt>
148 Set the specified flag in the flag field of the KEY/DNSKEY record.
149 The only recognized flags are KSK (Key Signing Key) and REVOKE.
151 <dt><span class="term">-G</span></dt>
153 Generate a key, but do not publish it or sign with it. This
154 option is incompatible with -P and -A.
156 <dt><span class="term">-g <em class="replaceable"><code>generator</code></em></span></dt>
158 If generating a Diffie Hellman key, use this generator.
159 Allowed values are 2 and 5. If no generator
160 is specified, a known prime from RFC 2539 will be used
161 if possible; otherwise the default is 2.
163 <dt><span class="term">-h</span></dt>
165 Prints a short summary of the options and arguments to
166 <span><strong class="command">dnssec-keygen</strong></span>.
168 <dt><span class="term">-K <em class="replaceable"><code>directory</code></em></span></dt>
170 Sets the directory in which the key files are to be written.
172 <dt><span class="term">-k</span></dt>
174 Deprecated in favor of -T KEY.
176 <dt><span class="term">-p <em class="replaceable"><code>protocol</code></em></span></dt>
178 Sets the protocol value for the generated key. The protocol
179 is a number between 0 and 255. The default is 3 (DNSSEC).
180 Other possible values for this argument are listed in
181 RFC 2535 and its successors.
183 <dt><span class="term">-q</span></dt>
185 Quiet mode: Suppresses unnecessary output, including
186 progress indication. Without this option, when
187 <span><strong class="command">dnssec-keygen</strong></span> is run interactively
188 to generate an RSA or DSA key pair, it will print a string
189 of symbols to <code class="filename">stderr</code> indicating the
190 progress of the key generation. A '.' indicates that a
191 random number has been found which passed an initial
192 sieve test; '+' means a number has passed a single
193 round of the Miller-Rabin primality test; a space
194 means that the number has passed all the tests and is
197 <dt><span class="term">-r <em class="replaceable"><code>randomdev</code></em></span></dt>
199 Specifies the source of randomness. If the operating
200 system does not provide a <code class="filename">/dev/random</code>
201 or equivalent device, the default source of randomness
202 is keyboard input. <code class="filename">randomdev</code>
204 the name of a character device or file containing random
205 data to be used instead of the default. The special value
206 <code class="filename">keyboard</code> indicates that keyboard
207 input should be used.
209 <dt><span class="term">-S <em class="replaceable"><code>key</code></em></span></dt>
211 Create a new key which is an explicit successor to an
212 existing key. The name, algorithm, size, and type of the
213 key will be set to match the existing key. The activation
214 date of the new key will be set to the inactivation date of
215 the existing one. The publication date will be set to the
216 activation date minus the prepublication interval, which
219 <dt><span class="term">-s <em class="replaceable"><code>strength</code></em></span></dt>
221 Specifies the strength value of the key. The strength is
222 a number between 0 and 15, and currently has no defined
225 <dt><span class="term">-T <em class="replaceable"><code>rrtype</code></em></span></dt>
228 Specifies the resource record type to use for the key.
229 <code class="option">rrtype</code> must be either DNSKEY or KEY. The
230 default is DNSKEY when using a DNSSEC algorithm, but it can be
231 overridden to KEY for use with SIG(0).
236 Using any TSIG algorithm (HMAC-* or DH) forces this option
240 <dt><span class="term">-t <em class="replaceable"><code>type</code></em></span></dt>
242 Indicates the use of the key. <code class="option">type</code> must be
243 one of AUTHCONF, NOAUTHCONF, NOAUTH, or NOCONF. The default
244 is AUTHCONF. AUTH refers to the ability to authenticate
245 data, and CONF the ability to encrypt data.
247 <dt><span class="term">-v <em class="replaceable"><code>level</code></em></span></dt>
249 Sets the debugging level.
253 <div class="refsect1" lang="en">
254 <a name="id2544169"></a><h2>TIMING OPTIONS</h2>
256 Dates can be expressed in the format YYYYMMDD or YYYYMMDDHHMMSS.
257 If the argument begins with a '+' or '-', it is interpreted as
258 an offset from the present time. For convenience, if such an offset
259 is followed by one of the suffixes 'y', 'mo', 'w', 'd', 'h', or 'mi',
260 then the offset is computed in years (defined as 365 24-hour days,
261 ignoring leap years), months (defined as 30 24-hour days), weeks,
262 days, hours, or minutes, respectively. Without a suffix, the offset
263 is computed in seconds.
265 <div class="variablelist"><dl>
266 <dt><span class="term">-P <em class="replaceable"><code>date/offset</code></em></span></dt>
268 Sets the date on which a key is to be published to the zone.
269 After that date, the key will be included in the zone but will
270 not be used to sign it. If not set, and if the -G option has
271 not been used, the default is "now".
273 <dt><span class="term">-A <em class="replaceable"><code>date/offset</code></em></span></dt>
275 Sets the date on which the key is to be activated. After that
276 date, the key will be included in the zone and used to sign
277 it. If not set, and if the -G option has not been used, the
280 <dt><span class="term">-R <em class="replaceable"><code>date/offset</code></em></span></dt>
282 Sets the date on which the key is to be revoked. After that
283 date, the key will be flagged as revoked. It will be included
284 in the zone and will be used to sign it.
286 <dt><span class="term">-I <em class="replaceable"><code>date/offset</code></em></span></dt>
288 Sets the date on which the key is to be retired. After that
289 date, the key will still be included in the zone, but it
290 will not be used to sign it.
292 <dt><span class="term">-D <em class="replaceable"><code>date/offset</code></em></span></dt>
294 Sets the date on which the key is to be deleted. After that
295 date, the key will no longer be included in the zone. (It
296 may remain in the key repository, however.)
298 <dt><span class="term">-i <em class="replaceable"><code>interval</code></em></span></dt>
301 Sets the prepublication interval for a key. If set, then
302 the publication and activation dates must be separated by at least
303 this much time. If the activation date is specified but the
304 publication date isn't, then the publication date will default
305 to this much time before the activation date; conversely, if
306 the publication date is specified but activation date isn't,
307 then activation will be set to this much time after publication.
310 If the key is being created as an explicit successor to another
311 key, then the default prepublication interval is 30 days;
312 otherwise it is zero.
315 As with date offsets, if the argument is followed by one of
316 the suffixes 'y', 'mo', 'w', 'd', 'h', or 'mi', then the
317 interval is measured in years, months, weeks, days, hours,
318 or minutes, respectively. Without a suffix, the interval is
324 <div class="refsect1" lang="en">
325 <a name="id2544359"></a><h2>GENERATED KEYS</h2>
327 When <span><strong class="command">dnssec-keygen</strong></span> completes
329 it prints a string of the form <code class="filename">Knnnn.+aaa+iiiii</code>
330 to the standard output. This is an identification string for
331 the key it has generated.
333 <div class="itemizedlist"><ul type="disc">
334 <li><p><code class="filename">nnnn</code> is the key name.
336 <li><p><code class="filename">aaa</code> is the numeric representation
340 <li><p><code class="filename">iiiii</code> is the key identifier (or
344 <p><span><strong class="command">dnssec-keygen</strong></span>
345 creates two files, with names based
346 on the printed string. <code class="filename">Knnnn.+aaa+iiiii.key</code>
347 contains the public key, and
348 <code class="filename">Knnnn.+aaa+iiiii.private</code> contains the
353 The <code class="filename">.key</code> file contains a DNS KEY record
355 can be inserted into a zone file (directly or with a $INCLUDE
359 The <code class="filename">.private</code> file contains
361 fields. For obvious security reasons, this file does not have
362 general read permission.
365 Both <code class="filename">.key</code> and <code class="filename">.private</code>
366 files are generated for symmetric encryption algorithms such as
367 HMAC-MD5, even though the public and private key are equivalent.
370 <div class="refsect1" lang="en">
371 <a name="id2544441"></a><h2>EXAMPLE</h2>
373 To generate a 768-bit DSA key for the domain
374 <strong class="userinput"><code>example.com</code></strong>, the following command would be
377 <p><strong class="userinput"><code>dnssec-keygen -a DSA -b 768 -n ZONE example.com</code></strong>
380 The command would print a string of the form:
382 <p><strong class="userinput"><code>Kexample.com.+003+26160</code></strong>
385 In this example, <span><strong class="command">dnssec-keygen</strong></span> creates
386 the files <code class="filename">Kexample.com.+003+26160.key</code>
388 <code class="filename">Kexample.com.+003+26160.private</code>.
391 <div class="refsect1" lang="en">
392 <a name="id2544485"></a><h2>SEE ALSO</h2>
393 <p><span class="citerefentry"><span class="refentrytitle">dnssec-signzone</span>(8)</span>,
394 <em class="citetitle">BIND 9 Administrator Reference Manual</em>,
395 <em class="citetitle">RFC 2539</em>,
396 <em class="citetitle">RFC 2845</em>,
397 <em class="citetitle">RFC 4034</em>.
400 <div class="refsect1" lang="en">
401 <a name="id2544584"></a><h2>AUTHOR</h2>
402 <p><span class="corpauthor">Internet Systems Consortium</span>