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DNSSEC-SETTIME(1)		     BIND 9		       DNSSEC-SETTIME(1)

NAME
     dnssec-settime - set the key timing metadata for a DNSSEC key

SYNOPSIS
     dnssec-settime  [-f]  [-K	directory]  [-L  ttl]  [-P  date/offset]  [-P ds
     date/offset] [-P sync date/offset] [-A date/offset]  [-R  date/offset]  [-I
     date/offset] [-D date/offset] [-D ds date/offset] [-D sync date/offset] [-S
     key]  [-i	interval]  [-h]  [-V]  [-v level] [-E engine] {keyfile} [-s] [-g
     state] [-d state date/offset] [-k state date/offset] [-r state date/offset]
     [-z state date/offset]

DESCRIPTION
     dnssec-settime reads a DNSSEC private key file  and  sets	the  key  timing
     metadata  as  specified by the -P, -A, -R, -I, and -D options. The metadata
     can then be used by dnssec-signzone <#std-iscman-dnssec-signzone> or  other
     signing  software	to  determine  when a key is to be published, whether it
     should be used for signing a zone, etc.

     If none of these options is set on the command line, dnssec-settime  simply
     prints the key timing metadata already stored in the key.

     When   key   metadata  fields  are  changed,  both  files	of  a  key  pair
     (Knnnn.+aaa+iiiii.key and Knnnn.+aaa+iiiii.private) are regenerated.

     Metadata fields are stored in the private file. A	human-readable	descrip-
     tion  of  the metadata is also placed in comments in the key file. The pri-
     vate file's permissions are always set to be inaccessible to  anyone  other
     than the owner (mode 0600).

     When working with state files, it is possible to update the timing metadata
     in  those	files as well with -s.	With this option, it is also possible to
     update key states with -d (DS), -k (DNSKEY),  -r  (RRSIG  of  KSK),  or  -z
     (RRSIG of ZSK). Allowed states are HIDDEN, RUMOURED, OMNIPRESENT, and UNRE-
     TENTIVE.

     The  goal	state  of the key can also be set with -g. This should be either
     HIDDEN or OMNIPRESENT, representing whether the key should be removed  from
     the zone or published.

     It  is NOT RECOMMENDED to manipulate state files manually, except for test-
     ing purposes.

OPTIONS
     -f     This option forces an update of an old-format key with  no	metadata
	    fields. Without this option, dnssec-settime fails when attempting to
	    update  a  legacy key. With this option, the key is recreated in the
	    new format, but with the original key data retained. The key's  cre-
	    ation date is set to the present time. If no other values are speci-
	    fied,  then  the key's publication and activation dates are also set
	    to the present time.

     -K directory
	    This option sets the directory in which the key files are to reside.

     -L ttl
	    This option sets the default TTL to use for this key when it is con-
	    verted into a DNSKEY RR. This is the TTL used when the  key  is  im-
	    ported  into  a  zone,  unless  there  was already a DNSKEY RRset in
	    place, in which case the existing  TTL  takes  precedence.	If  this
	    value  is not set and there is no existing DNSKEY RRset, the TTL de-
	    faults to the SOA TTL. Setting the default TTL to 0 or none  removes
	    it from the key.

     -h     This option emits a usage message and exits.

     -V     This option prints version information.

     -v level
	    This option sets the debugging level.

     -E engine
	    This  option  specifies  the cryptographic hardware to use, when ap-
	    plicable.

	    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).

TIMING OPTIONS
     Dates can be expressed in the format YYYYMMDD or YYYYMMDDHHMMSS  (which  is
     the  format  used	inside	key  files),  or  'Day Mon DD HH:MM:SS YYYY' (as
     printed  by  dnssec-settime  -p),	or  UNIX  epoch  time  (as  printed   by
     dnssec-settime -up), or the literal now.

     The  argument  can be followed by + or - and an offset from the given time.
     The literal now can be omitted before an offset. The offset can be followed
     by one of the suffixes y, mo, w, d, h, or mi, so that  it	is  computed  in
     years  (defined  as 365 24-hour days, ignoring leap years), months (defined
     as 30 24-hour days), weeks, days, hours, or minutes, respectively.  Without
     a suffix, the offset is computed in seconds.

     To unset a date, use none, never, or unset.

     All these formats are case-insensitive.

     -P date/offset
	    This  option  sets the date on which a key is to be published to the
	    zone. After that date, the key is included in the zone  but  is  not
	    used to sign it.

	    ds date/offset
		   This option sets the date on which DS records that match this
		   key have been seen in the parent zone.

	    sync date/offset
		   This  option  sets  the date on which CDS and CDNSKEY records
		   that match this key are to be published to the zone.

     -A date/offset
	    This option sets the date on which the key is to be activated. After
	    that date, the key is included in the zone and used to sign it.

     -R date/offset
	    This option sets the date on which the key is to be  revoked.  After
	    that date, the key is flagged as revoked. It is included in the zone
	    and is used to sign it.

     -I date/offset
	    This  option  sets the date on which the key is to be retired. After
	    that date, the key is still included in the zone, but it is not used
	    to sign it.

     -D date/offset
	    This option sets the date on which the key is to be  deleted.  After
	    that  date,  the key is no longer included in the zone. (However, it
	    may remain in the key repository.)

	    ds date/offset
		   This option sets the date on which the DS records that  match
		   this key have been seen removed from the parent zone.

	    sync date/offset
		   This  option  sets  the  date  on  which  the CDS and CDNSKEY
		   records that match this key are to be deleted.

     -S predecessor key
	    This option selects a key for which the key being modified is an ex-
	    plicit successor. The name, algorithm, size, and type of the  prede-
	    cessor  key  must exactly match those of the key being modified. The
	    activation date of the successor key is set to the inactivation date
	    of the predecessor. The publication date is set  to  the  activation
	    date minus the prepublication interval, which defaults to 30 days.

     -i interval
	    This option sets the prepublication interval for a key. If set, then
	    the  publication  and activation dates must be separated by at least
	    this much time. If the activation date is specified but the publica-
	    tion date is not, the publication date defaults to	this  much  time
	    before  the  activation date; conversely, if the publication date is
	    specified but not the activation date, activation  is  set	to  this
	    much time after publication.

	    If the key is being created as an explicit successor to another key,
	    then the default prepublication interval is 30 days; otherwise it is
	    zero.

	    As with date offsets, if the argument is followed by one of the suf-
	    fixes  y,  mo,  w,	d,  h, or mi, the interval is measured in years,
	    months, weeks, days, hours, or minutes, respectively. Without a suf-
	    fix, the interval is measured in seconds.

KEY STATE OPTIONS
     To test dnssec-policy it may be necessary to construct keys with artificial
     state information; these options are used by the testing framework for that
     purpose, but should never be used in production.

     Known key states are HIDDEN, RUMOURED, OMNIPRESENT, and UNRETENTIVE.

     -s     This option indicates that when setting key timing data,  the  state
	    file should also be updated.

     -g state
	    This  option sets the goal state for this key. Must be HIDDEN or OM-
	    NIPRESENT.

     -d state date/offset
	    This option sets the DS state for this key as of the specified date,
	    offset from the current date.

     -k state date/offset
	    This option sets the DNSKEY state for this key as of  the  specified
	    date, offset from the current date.

     -r state date/offset
	    This option sets the RRSIG (KSK) state for this key as of the speci-
	    fied date, offset from the current date.

     -z state date/offset
	    This option sets the RRSIG (ZSK) state for this key as of the speci-
	    fied date, offset from the current date.

PRINTING OPTIONS
     dnssec-settime  can  also	be  used to print the timing metadata associated
     with a key.

     -u     This option indicates that times should be	printed  in  Unix  epoch
	    format.

     -p C/P/Pds/Psync/A/R/I/D/Dds/Dsync/all
	    This option prints a specific metadata value or set of metadata val-
	    ues.   The -p option may be followed by one or more of the following
	    letters or strings to indicate which value or values to print: C for
	    the creation date, P for the publication date, Pds` for the DS  pub-
	    lication  date,  ``Psync for the CDS and CDNSKEY publication date, A
	    for the activation date, R for the revocation date, I for the  inac-
	    tivation  date,  D	for  the  deletion date, Dds for the DS deletion
	    date, and Dsync for the CDS and CDNSKEY deletion date. To print  all
	    of the metadata, use all.

SEE ALSO
     dnssec-keygen(8)	 <#std-iscman-dnssec-keygen>,	 dnssec-signzone(8)   <#
     std-iscman-dnssec-signzone>, BIND 9  Administrator  Reference  Manual,  RFC
     5011 <https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/rfc5011.html>.

Author
     Internet Systems Consortium

Copyright
     2026, Internet Systems Consortium

9.20.26 			   2026-07-20		       DNSSEC-SETTIME(1)

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