The named (also known as named daemon) is a DNS server software that performs the function of converting host names into IP addresses (known as forward DNS resolution) and IP addresses into host names (known as reverse DNS resolution). It is responsible for managing and serving the DNS records for one or more domains, allowing clients to perform name resolution and access websites and services using domain names instead of IP addresses. Named operates as a daemon, meaning it runs continuously in the background, waiting for and responding to DNS resolution requests from clients. It is a crucial component of the Internet infrastructure, enabling the human-readable domain names to be translated into machine-readable IP addresses.
named Command Examples
1. Read the default configuration file /etc/named.conf, read any initial data and listen for queries:
# named
2. Read a custom configuration file:
# named -c /path/to/named.conf
3. Use IPv4 or IPv6 only, even if the host machine is capable of utilising other protocols:
# named [-4|-6]
4. Listen for queries on a specific port instead of the default port 53:
# named -p [port]
5. Run the server in the foreground and do not daemonize:
# named -f