dnssec-ksr(1) BIND 9 dnssec-ksr(1)
NAME
dnssec-ksr - create signed key response (SKR) files for offline KSK
setups
SYNOPSIS
dnssec-ksr [-E engine] [-e date/offset] [-F] [-f file] [-h] [-i
date/offset] [-K directory] [-k policy] [-l file] [-o] [-V] [-v level]
{command} {zone}
DESCRIPTION
The dnssec-ksr can be used to issue several commands that are needed to
generate presigned RRsets for a zone where the private key file of the
Key Signing Key (KSK) is typically offline. This requires Zone Signing
Keys (ZSKs) to be pregenerated, and the DNSKEY, CDNSKEY, and CDS RRsets
to be already signed in advance.
The latter is done by creating Key Signing Requests (KSRs) that can be
imported to the environment where the KSK is available. Once there,
this program can create Signed Key Responses (SKRs) that can be loaded
by an authoritative DNS server.
OPTIONS
-E engine
This option specifies the cryptographic hardware to use, when
applicable.
When BIND 9 is built with OpenSSL, this needs to be set to the
OpenSSL engine identifier that drives the cryptographic
accelerator or hardware service module (usually pkcs11).
-e date/offset
This option sets the end date for which keys or SKRs need to be
generated (depending on the command).
-F This options turns on FIPS (US Federal Information Processing
Standards) mode if the underlying crytographic library supports
running in FIPS mode.
-f This option sets the SKR file to be signed when issuing a sign
command.
-h This option prints a short summary of the options and arguments
to dnssec-ksr.
-i date/offset
This option sets the start date for which keys or SKRs need to
be generated (depending on the command).
-K directory
This option sets the directory in which the key files are to be
read or written (depending on the command).
-k policy
This option sets the specific dnssec-policy for which keys need
to be generated, or signed.
-l file
This option provides a configuration file that contains a
dnssec-policy statement (matching the policy set with -k).
-o Normally when pregenerating keys, ZSKs are created. When this
option is set, create KSKs instead.
-V This option prints version information.
-v level
This option sets the debugging level. Level 1 is intended to be
usefully verbose for general users; higher levels are intended
for developers.
command
The KSR command to be executed. See below for the available
commands.
zone
The name of the zone for which the KSR command is being executed.
COMMANDS
keygen Pregenerate a number of keys, given a DNSSEC policy and an
interval. The number of generated keys depends on the interval
and the key lifetime.
request
Create a Key Signing Request (KSR), given a DNSSEC policy and an
interval. This will generate a file with a number of key
bundles, where each bundle contains the currently published ZSKs
(according to the timing metadata).
sign Sign a Key Signing Request (KSR), given a DNSSEC policy and an
interval, creating a Signed Key Response (SKR). This will add
the corresponding DNSKEY, CDS, and CDNSKEY records for the KSK
that is being used for signing.
EXIT STATUS
The dnssec-ksr command exits 0 on success, or non-zero if an error
occurred.
EXAMPLES
When you need to generate ZSKs for the zone "example.com" for the next
year, given a dnssec-policy named "mypolicy":
dnssec-ksr -i now -e +1y -k mypolicy -l named.conf keygen example.com
Creating a KSR for the same zone and period can be done with:
dnssec-ksr -i now -e +1y -k mypolicy -l named.conf request example.com > ksr.txt
Typically you would now transfer the KSR to the system that has access
to the KSK.
Signing the KSR created above can be done with:
dnssec-ksr -i now -e +1y -k kskpolicy -l named.conf -f ksr.txt sign example.com
Make sure that the DNSSEC parameters in kskpolicy match those in
mypolicy.
SEE ALSO
dnssec-keygen(8) <#std-iscman-dnssec-keygen>, dnssec-signzone(8) <#std-
iscman-dnssec-signzone>, BIND 9 Administrator Reference Manual.
Author
Internet Systems Consortium
Copyright
2026, Internet Systems Consortium
9.20.21 2026-03-13 dnssec-ksr(1)
bind 9.20.21 - Generated Fri Apr 3 13:33:51 CDT 2026