How to Enable a DNS Client

Language:

Become an administrator.

List the domains to search and the IP addresses for the DNS name servers, then update the SMF repository. For example:

# svccfg -s network/dns/client
    svc:/network/dns/client> setprop config/search = astring: ("example.com" "sales.example.com")
    svc:/network/dns/client> setprop config/nameserver = net_address: (192.0.2.10 192.0.2.11)
    svc:/network/dns/client> select network/dns/client:default
    svc:/network/dns/client:default> refresh
    svc:/network/dns/client:default> quit

Make sure to refresh the service for the changes to take effect.

Update the name service switch information to use DNS.

The first command updates the DNS configuration information in the SMF repository.

# svccfg -s system/name-service/switch
    svc:/system/name-service/switch> setprop config/host = astring: "files dns"
    svc:/system/name-service/switch> select system/name-service/switch:default
    svc:/system/name-service/switch:default> refresh
    svc:/system/name-service/switch:default> quit

Start the services that are needed to run the DNS client.

# svcadm enable network/dns/client
# svcadm enable system/name-service/switch

Verify that the DNS client is enabled by using one or both of the following commands:
```
# dig knownserver.example.com
```
```
# getent hosts knownserver.example.com
```
The dig command when used alone checks that the DNS client is enabled. The getent hosts command verifies the /etc/nsswitch.conf file's use of the DNS client.

Example 16 Setting Multiple DNS Options for a Client Simultaneously

The following example shows how you would set multiple /etc/resolv.conf options.

# svccg
svc:> select /network/dns/client
svc:/network/dns/client> setprop config/options = "ndots:2 retrans:3 retry:1"
svc:/network/dns/client> listprop config/options
config/options astring     ndots:2 retrans:3 retry:1
svc:/network/dns/client> exit
# svcadm refresh dns/client
# grep options /etc/resolv.conf
options ndots:2 retrans:3 retry:1