Linux in a Nutshell, Fourth Edition

Name

whois

Synopsis

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

--

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

-h server

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.crsnic.net.

-n

Disable recursion.

-p port

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

-r

Force recursion when the server responds with the name of another server. The default when the default name server is used.

-t timeout

Set a timeout period of timeout seconds.

-v

Verbose. Display the query before sending it to the server.