named-journalprint - print zone journal in human-readable form

NAME  SYNOPSIS  DESCRIPTION  SEE ALSO  Author  Copyright 

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NAME

named-journalprint − print zone journal in human-readable form

SYNOPSIS

named−journalprint [−c serial] [−dux] {journal}

DESCRIPTION

named−journalprint scans the contents of a zone journal file, printing it in a human−readable form, or, optionally, converting it to a different journal file format.

Journal files are automatically created by named <#std-iscman-named> when changes are made to dynamic zones (e.g., by nsupdate <# std-iscman-nsupdate>). They record each addition or deletion of a resource record, in binary format, allowing the changes to be re−applied to the zone when the server is restarted after a shutdown or crash. By default, the name of the journal file is formed by appending the extension .jnl to the name of the corresponding zone file.

named−journalprint converts the contents of a given journal file into a human−readable text format. Each line begins with add or del, to indicate whether the record was added or deleted, and continues with the resource record in master−file format.

The −c (compact) option provides a mechanism to reduce the size of a journal by removing (most/all) transactions prior to the specified serial number. Note: this option must not be used while named <# std-iscman-named> is running, and can cause data loss if the zone file has not been updated to contain the data being removed from the journal. Use with extreme caution.

The −x option causes additional data about the journal file to be printed at the beginning of the output and before each group of changes.

The −u (upgrade) and −d (downgrade) options recreate the journal file with a modified format version. The existing journal file is replaced. −d writes out the journal in the format used by versions of BIND up to 9.16.11; −u writes it out in the format used by versions since 9.16.13. (9.16.12 is omitted due to a journal−formatting bug in that release.) Note that these options must not be used while named <# std-iscman-named> is running.

SEE ALSO

named(8) <#std-iscman-named>, nsupdate(1) <#std-iscman-nsupdate>, BIND 9 Administrator Reference Manual.

Author

Internet Systems Consortium

Copyright

2026, Internet Systems Consortium

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