dnssec-keygen(8)

NAME
     dnssec-keygen - DNSSEC key generation tool

SYNOPSIS
     dnssec-keygen -a algorithm -b keysize -n nametype [ -c class ]  [ -e ]  [
     -g generator ]  [ -h ]  [ -p protocol ]  [ -r randomdev ]  [ -s strength
     ]  [ -t type ]  [ -v level ]  name

DESCRIPTION
     dnssec-keygen generates keys for DNSSEC (Secure DNS), as defined in RFC
     2535. It can also generate keys for use with TSIG (Transaction
     Signatures), as defined in RFC 2845.

OPTIONS
     -a algorithm
          Selects the cryptographic algorithm. The value of algorithm must be
          one of RSAMD5 or RSA, DSA, DH (Diffie Hellman), or HMAC-MD5. These
          values are case insensitive.

          Note that for DNSSEC, DSA is a mandatory to implement algorithm, and
          RSA is recommended. For TSIG, HMAC-MD5 is mandatory.

     -b keysize
          Specifies the number of bits in the key. The choice of key size
          depends on the algorithm used. RSA keys must be between 512 and 2048
          bits. Diffie Hellman keys must be between 128 and 4096 bits. DSA
          keys must be between 512 and 1024 bits and an exact multiple of 64.
          HMAC-MD5 keys must be between 1 and 512 bits.

     -n nametype
          Specifies the owner type of the key. The value of nametype must
          either be ZONE (for a DNSSEC zone key), HOST or ENTITY (for a key
          associated with a host), or USER (for a key associated with a user).
          These values are case insensitive.

     -c class
          Indicates that the DNS record containing the key should have the
          specified class. If not specified, class IN is used.

     -e   If generating an RSA key, use a large exponent.

     -g generator
          If generating a Diffie Hellman key, use this generator.  Allowed
          values are 2 and 5. If no generator is specified, a known prime from
          RFC 2539 will be used if possible; otherwise the default is 2.

     -h   Prints a short summary of the options and arguments to dnssec-
          keygen.

     -p protocol
          Sets the protocol value for the generated key. The protocol is a
          number between 0 and 255. The default is 2 (email) for keys of type
          USER and 3 (DNSSEC) for all other key types.  Other possible values
          for this argument are listed in RFC 2535 and its successors.

     -r randomdev
          Specifies the source of randomness. If the operating system does not
          provide a /dev/random or equivalent device, the default source of
          randomness is keyboard input. randomdev specifies the name of a
          character device or file containing random data to be used instead
          of the default. The special value keyboard indicates that keyboard
          input should be used.

     -s strength
          Specifies the strength value of the key. The strength is a number
          between 0 and 15, and currently has no defined purpose in DNSSEC.

     -t type
          Indicates the use of the key. type must be one of AUTHCONF,
          NOAUTHCONF, NOAUTH, or NOCONF. The default is AUTHCONF. AUTH refers
          to the ability to authenticate data, and CONF the ability to encrypt
          data.

     -v level
          Sets the debugging level.

GENERATED KEYS
     When dnssec-keygen completes successfully, it prints a string of the form
     Knnnn.+aaa+iiiii to the standard output. This is an identification string
     for the key it has generated. These strings can be used as arguments to
     dnssec-makekeyset.

     o nnnn is the key name.

     o aaa is the numeric representation of the algorithm.

     o iiiii is the key identifier (or footprint).

     dnssec-keygen creates two file, with names based on the printed string.
     Knnnn.+aaa+iiiii.key contains the public key, and
     Knnnn.+aaa+iiiii.private contains the private key.

     The .key file contains a DNS KEY record that can be inserted into a zone
     file (directly or with a $INCLUDE statement).

     The .private file contains algorithm specific fields. For obvious
     security reasons, this file does not have general read permission.

     Both .key and .private files are generated for symmetric encryption
     algorithm such as HMAC-MD5, even though the public and private key are
     equivalent.

EXAMPLE
     To generate a 768-bit DSA key for the domain example.com, the following
     command would be issued:

     dnssec-keygen -a DSA -b 768 -n ZONE example.com

     The command would print a string of the form:

     Kexample.com.+003+26160

     In this example, dnssec-keygen creates the files
     Kexample.com.+003+26160.key and Kexample.com.+003+26160.private

SEE ALSO
     dnssec-makekeyset(8), dnssec-signkey(8), dnssec-signzone(8), BIND 9
     Administrator Reference Manual, RFC 2535, RFC 2845, RFC 2539.

AUTHOR
     Internet Software Consortium