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RESOLVCONF(8)			  resolvconf			 RESOLVCONF(8)

NAME
       resolvconf - manage nameserver information

SYNOPSIS
       cat FILE | resolvconf -a IFACE.PROG

       resolvconf -d IFACE.PROG

       resolvconf -u

       resolvconf --enable-updates | --disable-updates | --updates-are-enabled
       | --create-runtime-directories | --wipe-runtime-directories

DESCRIPTION
       The resolvconf package comprises a simple database for  run-time	 name‐
       server information and a simple framework for notifying applications of
       changes in that information.  Resolvconf thus sets  itself  up  as  the
       intermediary  between  programs	that supply nameserver information and
       applications that use that information.

       Information is added to or removed from the database using the  resolv‐
       conf  program.	See  the OPTIONS section below for a discussion of the
       available options.

SUPPLIERS OF NAMESERVER INFORMATION
       Normally the resolvconf program is run only by network  interface  con‐
       figuration  programs  such  as  pppd(8)	(for  ppp interfaces); by DHCP
       clients such as dhclient(8); by ifup(8) and ifdown; and by  DNS	caches
       such as dnsmasq(8) (for the loopback interface).	 These programs obtain
       nameserver information from some source and push it to resolvconf.

   dhclient
       The dhclient program, for example, may receive nameserver addresses and
       domain  search  list  information  during its negotiation with the DHCP
       server; if so, its hook script /etc/dhcp/dhclient-enter-hooks.d/resolv‐
       conf pushes this information to resolvconf.

   ifup
       The  ifup program can be used to configure network interfaces according
       to settings in /etc/network/interfaces.	To make ifup  push  nameserver
       information  to resolvconf when it configures an interface the adminis‐
       trator must add dns- option lines  to  the  relevant  iface  stanza  in
       interfaces(5).	The  following	option	names are supported: dns-name‐
       servers, dns-search, and dns-sortlist.  The dns-domain option is depre‐
       cated in favor of dns-search.

       To add nameserver addresses, add a single line beginning with dns-name‐
       servers.

	   dns-nameservers 192.168.1.254 8.8.8.8

       Note that one or more addresses can be given on this line, separated by
       spaces,	and  note  the	"s" at the end of the option name, in contrast
       with the resolv.conf(5)	option	name  nameserver.   Remember  that  in
       interfaces(5) each option can be used at most once per stanza.

       To add search domain names, add a line beginning with dns-search.

	   dns-search foo.org bar.com

       The resulting stanza might look like the following example.

	   iface eth0 inet static
	       address 192.168.1.3
	       netmask 255.255.255.0
	       gateway 192.168.1.1
	       dns-nameservers 192.168.1.254 8.8.8.8
	       dns-search foo.org bar.com

       N.B.:  On  a  machine  where resolvconf has just been or is about to be
       installed and which previously  relied  on  a  static  /etc/resolv.conf
       file, the nameserver information in that static file should be migrated
       to the appropriate iface stanza(s) in interfaces(5).

   Command line
       The administrator can run resolvconf from the command line  to  add  or
       delete  nameserver  information,	 but this is not normally necessary or
       advisable.

CONSUMERS OF NAMESERVER INFORMATION
       Nameserver information provided to resolvconf is stored for use by sub‐
       scribers	 to  resolvconf's  notification	 service.  Subscriber packages
       that need to  know  when	 nameserver  information  has  changed	should
       install	a  script  in  /etc/resolvconf/update.d/  (or  in /etc/resolv‐
       conf/update-libc.d/: see below).	 For example, DNS caches such as  dns‐
       masq(8) and pdnsd(8) subscribe to the notification service so that they
       know whither to forward queries.	 Client hook  scripts  will  find  the
       files containing nameserver information in the current directory.

   libc
       The most important software package that subscribes to the notification
       service is the GNU C Library resolver(3).  This library is used by many
       applications that need to resolve domain names.	When nameserver infor‐
       mation is updated, the script /etc/resolvconf/update.d/libc generates a
       new   version   of   the	  resolver  configuration  file,  /run/resolv‐
       conf/resolv.conf, as described below.  If the new version of  the  file
       differs	from  the previously generated one then the hook scripts found
       in /etc/resolvconf/update-libc.d/ are executed.

       The dynamically generated resolver  configuration  file	always	starts
       with  the  contents of /etc/resolvconf/resolv.conf.d/head and ends with
       the contents of /etc/resolvconf/resolv.conf.d/tail.  Between  head  and
       tail  the  libc	script inserts dynamic nameserver information compiled
       from, first, information provided for  configured  interfaces;  second,
       static  information  from /etc/resolvconf/resolv.conf.d/base.  Specifi‐
       cally, it writes:

	 1) up to three nameserver lines, ordered  according  to  /etc/resolv‐
	    conf/interface-order,  possibly fewer if one of the addresses is a
	    loopback  address  and  the	  TRUNCATE_NAMESERVER_LIST_AFTER_LOOP‐
	    BACK_ADDRESS  environment  variable	 is affirmatively set, as dis‐
	    cussed in the ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES section;

	 2) up to one search line containing the combined domain  search  list
	    from all "domain" and "search" input lines, also ordered according
	    to interface-order(5);

	 3) all other non-comment input lines.

       To make the resolver use this dynamically generated resolver configura‐
       tion  file  the	administrator should ensure that /etc/resolv.conf is a
       symbolic link to /run/resolvconf/resolv.conf.  This  link  is  normally
       created	on  installation of the resolvconf package.  The link is never
       modified	 by  the  resolvconf  program  itself.	 If  you   find	  that
       /etc/resolv.conf	 is  not being updated, please check to make sure that
       the link is intact.

       The GNU C Library resolver library  isn't  the  only  resolver  library
       available.   However,  any resolver library that reads /etc/resolv.conf
       (and most of them do, in order to be compatible) should work fine  with
       resolvconf.

       Subscriber packages that need to know only when the resolver configura‐
       tion  file  has	changed	 should	 install  a  script  in	  /etc/resolv‐
       conf/update-libc.d/  rather  than  in  /etc/resolvconf/update.d/.  (For
       example, two packages that  install  update-libc.d/  hook  scripts  are
       fetchmail  and squid.)  This is important for synchronization purposes:
       scripts in update-libc.d/ are run after resolv.conf has	been  updated;
       the same is not necessarily true of scripts in update.d/.

OPTIONS
       -a IFACE.PROG
	      Add  or  overwrite  the  record  IFACE.PROG  then run the update
	      scripts if updating is enabled.  When this option	 is  used  the
	      information must be provided to resolvconf on its standard input
	      in the format of the resolv.conf(5) file.	 Each line in the file
	      must be terminated by a newline.

       -d IFACE.PROG
	      Delete  the  record  IFACE.PROG  then  run the update scripts if
	      updating is enabled.

       The string IFACE.PROG may not contain spaces, slashes, an initial  dot,
       an  initial  hyphen  or	an initial tilde.  It is conventionally formed
       from IFACE, the name of the interface involved, a dot, and  IPROG,  the
       name of the interface configuration program, e.g., "eth0.dhclient".

       -u     Just run the update scripts (if updating is enabled).

       With -a, -d or -u:
	      if  updating  is	not  enabled,  schedule a delayed update.  The
	      delayed update will be carried out when updates are enabled.

       --enable-updates
	      Set the  flag  indicating	 that  resolvconf  should  run	update
	      scripts  when  invoked  in  the  future with -a, -d or -u.  If a
	      delayed update was scheduled then run update scripts.

       --disable-updates
	      Clear the flag.

       --updates-are-enabled
	      Return 0 if the flag is set, otherwise return 1.

       --create-runtime-directories
	      Create the directories where resolver  information  records  and
	      other run-time files are stored.

       --wipe-runtime-directories
	      Delete  everything in the directories where resolver information
	      records and other run-time files are stored.

ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES
       The  following  variables  can  be  set	in  the	  configuration	  file
       /etc/default/resolvconf.	  If  the file does not exist you will have to
       create it.

       REPORT_ABSENT_SYMLINK
	      If set to "yes"  then  resolvconf	 will  print  a	 message  when
	      /etc/resolv.conf is not a symbolic link to the resolvconf-gener‐
	      ated resolver configuration file.	 Set to "no"  to  prevent  the
	      printing of this message.	 The default is "yes".

       TRUNCATE_NAMESERVER_LIST_AFTER_LOOPBACK_ADDRESS
	      If  set to "yes" then the libc script will include no more name‐
	      server addresses after the first nameserver address  that	 is  a
	      loopback	address.   (In IPv4 a loopback address is any one that
	      starts with "127.".  In IPv6 the loopback address is "::1".)

	      The advantage of truncating the nameserver list after a loopback
	      address  is  that	 doing	so  inhibits  unnecessary  changes  to
	      resolv.conf and thus reduces the number of  instances  in	 which
	      the update-libc.d/ scripts have to be run.  When an interface is
	      brought up or down the local caching nameserver that listens  on
	      the  loopback address is still informed of the change and adapts
	      accordingly; the clients of the resolver	which  use  the	 local
	      caching  nameserver do not need to be notified of the change.  A
	      disadvantage of this mode of operation is that applications have
	      no  secondary  or	 tertiary  nameserver  address to fall back on
	      should the local caching nameserver crash.  Insofar as  a	 local
	      nameserver crash can be regarded as an unlikely event, this is a
	      relatively minor disadvantage.  Set to "no" to  disable  trunca‐
	      tion.  The default is "yes".

	      A	  deprecated  synonym  for  this  variable  is	TRUNCATE_NAME‐
	      SERVER_LIST_AFTER_127.

FILES
       /etc/default/resolvconf
	      See the ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES section.

       /etc/resolvconf/interface-order
	      Determines the order of precedence of nameserver	addresses  and
	      search domain names.  See above and interface-order(5).

       /etc/resolvconf/resolv.conf.d/base
	      File  containing	basic resolver information.  The lines in this
	      file are included in the resolver configuration file  even  when
	      no interfaces are configured.

       /etc/resolvconf/resolv.conf.d/head
	      File  to be prepended to the dynamically generated resolver con‐
	      figuration file.	Normally this is just a comment line.

       /etc/resolvconf/resolv.conf.d/tail
	      File to be appended to the dynamically generated	resolver  con‐
	      figuration  file.	  To  append nothing, make this an empty file.
	      This file is a good place to put a resolver options line if  one
	      is needed, e.g.,

		  options inet6

       /etc/resolvconf/resolv.conf.d/original
	      Copy  of the /etc/resolv.conf file before the resolvconf package
	      was installed.  This file has no effect on  the  functioning  of
	      resolvconf;  it  is  retained  so	 that  /etc/resolv.conf can be
	      restored to its original state  if  the  resolvconf  package  is
	      removed.

	      Note  also  that a copy of this file is included in the database
	      until the first reboot  after  installation  of  the  resolvconf
	      package;	this ensures that nameservers reachable before instal‐
	      lation of resolvconf are still reachable after  installation  of
	      resolvconf  even though at that point not all suppliers of name‐
	      server  information  may	have  supplied	their  information  to
	      resolvconf(8).

	      Note also that the administrator can choose to create a symbolic
	      link in /etc/resolvconf/resolv.conf.d/ from tail to original  so
	      that the contents of original are always added to the end of the
	      dynamically generated file.

BUGS
       Currently resolvconf does not check the sanity of the information  pro‐
       vided to it.

AUTHOR
       Written by Thomas Hood <jdthood@gmail.com> with contributions by Nathan
       Stratton Treadway.

COPYRIGHT
       Copyright © 2004-2012 Thomas Hood.
       This is free software; see the source for copying conditions.

SEE ALSO
       interface-order(5), resolv.conf(5), resolver(3).

       Read the resolvconf package README file for more in-depth information.

resolvconf			  28 May 2012			 RESOLVCONF(8)
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