		dnswalk 1.8.3 - Nov 1994

Author: David Barr <barr@pop.psu.edu>
$Id: README,v 8.1 1996/10/25 04:57:15 vixie Exp $

INTRO

dnswalk is a DNS debugger.  It performs zone transfers of specified
domains, and checks the database in numerous ways for internal
consistency, as well as accuracy.

dnswalk requires perl and dig.  (Tested under perl-4.036, dig 2.0, and
the dig shipped with BIND 4.9.x) If you do not have these tools, get
them.  (perl is assumed to be in /usr/local/bin, edit the first line of
dnswalk if it is not)

They can be found by anonymous ftp at:
ftp.uu.net:/networking/ip/dns/dig.2.0.tar.Z
ftp.uu.net:/systems/gnu/perl-*.tar.Z
gatekeeper.dec.com:/pub/BSD/bind/4.9/4.9.*.tar.Z

	dnswalk works much better if you use the dig that is packaged
with the BIND 4.9.x distribution.  (It is much less buggy than its
predecessor)

	dnswalk is not for the faint of heart.  It should NOT be
used without a firm knowledge of the DNS RFC's.  If you use this
tool for cracking or otherwise evil purposes, the author hereby
considers you a slime-ball.  See the end of this README file for
a list of good reading material.

	dnswalk is not the be-all end-all tool for checking the
integrity of your DNS database.  I would suggest it be used after
using 'doc', written by Steve Hotz (hotz@isi.edu) and Paul Mockapetris
(pvm@isi.edu).  It can be found via FTP from:
ftp.uu.net:/networking/ip/dns/doc.2.0.tar.Z

	dnswalk is not a replacement for doc.  This was written to
check individual database entries, while 'doc' ensures that the overall
database structure and authority records are consistent.  dnswalk may
not even function correctly if authority records are missing or
incorrect.

	This program may be freely distributed, as long as this notice
and documentation are distributed with the program.  This program is
released as-is, with no warranty expressed or implied.  Some assembly
required, contents may settle during shipment.  This program can be
found in:
ftp.pop.psu.edu:/pub/src/dnswalk/  or the mirrors:
ftp.uu.net:/networking/ip/dns/dnswalk/*
ftp.edu.tw:/UNIX/networking/dns/dnswalk/*
ftp.univ-lyon1.fr:/pub/unix/network/tcpip/dns/dnswalk/*


	dnswalk tends to produce lots of output, so I'd suggest
redirecting this into a file of your choice.  I debated using doc's
strategy of automatically putting it in a logfile, but decided not
to.  (The author reserves the right to change his mind)  For small,
mostly-correct domains it is pretty manageable, however.  For larger
domains, use the included 'do-dnswalk' script as a guide.

If you use the recursive option, you will get a directory tree
corresponding exactly to the DNS hierarchy.  I must stress that
you use the recursive option with care, and the author calls you a
slime-ball again if you use this for evil purposes.

Please refer to the man page on what dnswalk checks for, and
the format of the output.

*** NOTICE ***
	I fully realize that while some of the rules are not in
violation of an RFC, it might be wise to reconsider their usage
anyway.  dnswalk was written to be a tool to let the hostmaster decide
what are troublesome areas, not as a program that has all the answers.
*** NOTICE ***

This program was tested with data from the psu.edu domain.  If your
site does things differently than the way we do things, then you
may see it report things as errors, when in fact they are "okay".
If you notice something not being reported, or something reported that
is not an error, please send me output!  I fully admit that I'm not
an expert in DNS and the requirements.  My rules tend to be skewed to
my personal feelings about what "nice" DNS databases look like.  Others
are free to differ.  (and tell me so)

Author:
David Barr - System Administrator
The Pennsylvania State University Population Research Institute
<barr@pop.psu.edu>

Thanks:

Bill Fenner - tips with perl

BUGS FIXED

added equal() routine and changed all string comparisons to use it
instead.  equal() does case-insensitive comparisons.  This was causing
several problems with mixed case host and domain names in various
places.

checks for invalid PTR records now skip addresses ending in ".0".

shortened error messages so they are more likely to fit in 80 columns

handles failed zone transfers better.  You can't trust dig to return
a non-zero return code if the transfer fails, so I parse the output
myself to see if it contains an SOA record to prove that it is 'valid'.

sorts output by zone.  Also displays server of authority and the
contact for the zone.  (So you know who to bug :-) )

produced erroneous warnings regarding having only one authoratative
nameserver for a zone.  It now warns correctly.

[ BUGS now moved to CHANGES file ]
