Linux in a Nutshell, 6th Edition

Name

whois

Synopsis

whois[options] query[@server[:port]]
jwhois [options] query[@server[:port]]

Search a whois database for a domain name, IP address, or NIC name. The information returned varies, but usually contains administrative and technical contacts so that you can find a person to handle problems at that domain. By default, the command returns information on .com, .net, and .edu domains, but other hosts can be queried for other domains using host or the -h option.

Options

--

Indicate the end of whois options. A subsequent string that begins with a hyphen on the command line is taken as a query string.

-a, --raw

Do not rewrite query according to configuration before sending to server.

-c file, --config=file

Specify a configuration file to use instead of the default /etc/jwhois.conf.

-d, --disable-cache

Disable reading and writing to the cache.

-f, --force-lookup

Force the lookup query to go to the host, even if it is available from the cache.

-h host, --host=host

Query the whois server on the specified host. Same as host on the command line. By default, queries the server in the environment variable NICNAMESERVER or WHOISSERVER if either is set; otherwise queries whois.internic.net.

--help

Print help message and exit.

-i, --display-redirections

Display every step in a redirection. The default is to display only the last step.

-n, --no-redirect

Disable redirection from one server to the next.

-p port, --port=port

Connect to the specified port. Same as port on the command line. Default is 43.

-r,