DNS on Windows 2000, Second Edition

Option Settings

nslookup has its own set of dials and knobs called option settings. All the option settings can be changed. We’ll discuss here what each of the options means. We’ll use the rest of the chapter to show you how to use them.

C:\> nslookup 
Default Server:  terminator.movie.edu 
Address:  192.249.249.3 

> set all 
Default Server:  terminator.movie.edu 
Address:  192.249.249.3 

Set options:
  nodebug
  defname
  search
  recurse
  nod2
  novc
  noignoretc
  port=53
  type=A
  class=IN
  timeout=2
  retry=1
  root=A.ROOT-SERVERS.NET.
  domain=movie.edu
  MSxfr
  IXFRversion=1
  srchlist=movie.edu

> ^Z

Before we get into the options, we need to cover the introductory lines. The default name server is terminator.movie.edu. This means that every query sent by nslookup will be sent to terminator.

The options come in two flavors: Boolean and value. The options that do not have an equals sign after them are Boolean options. They have the interesting property of being either “on” or “off.” The value options can take on different, well, values. How can we tell which Boolean options are on and which are off? The option is off when a “no” precedes the option’s name. nodebug means that debugging is off. As you might guess, the option search is on.

How you change Boolean or value options depends on whether or not you are using nslookup interactively. In an interactive session, you change an option with the set command, as in set debug or set domain=classics.movie.edu. From the command line, you omit the word set and precede ...