The directory Line

The directory line in the boot file designates the directory in which you want the name server to run:

directory /var/named

This allows the use of relative path names for the files mentioned in the boot file or, later, with the $INCLUDE directive. This feature is especially useful if you have many files to be maintained, and you want to locate them all in one directory dedicated to that purpose.

If there is no directory line in the boot file, all file names listed in the boot file must be full path names.