WHOIS(1)		 Debian GNU/Linux		 WHOIS(1)


NAME
       whois - client for the whois directory service

SYNOPSIS
       whois  [	 -h  HOST  ]  [	 -p    PORT  ]	[  -aCFLMmrRSV	]
       [ -g SOURCE:FIRST-LAST ]	 [  -i	ATTR  ]	 [  -S	SOURCE	]
       [ -T TYPE ] object

       whois [ -t ] [ -v ] [ -i ] template


DESCRIPTION
       whois searches for an object in a RFC-812 database.

       This  version of the whois client tries to guess the right
       server to ask for the specified object. If no guess can be
       made  it	 will  connect to whois.internic.net for domains,
       whois.arin.net for IPv4 addresses and whois.6bone.net  for
       IPv6 addresses.


OPTIONS
       -h HOST Connect to HOST.

       -H      Do  not	display	 the  legal disclaimers some reg-
	       istries like to show you.

       -p PORT Connect to PORT.

       -V      Be verbose.

       Other options are flags understood by RIPE-like servers.

NOTES
       Please remember that whois.networksolutions.com by default
       will  only  search in the domains database. If you want to
       search for hostnames, NIC handles or people names you have
       to prepend the appropriate keyword (HOst, HAndle or NAme).

       When querying whois.arin.net for AS numbers,  the  program
       will  automatically convert the request in the appropriate
       format, inserting a space after the string "AS".

       When querying whois.ncst.ernet.in  for  a  string  without
       spaces, the domain keyword is prepended.

       When  querying  whois.corenic.net, machine readable output
       is requested.

       RIPE-specific options are ignored when  querying	 non-RIPE
       servers.

ENVIRONMENT
       LANG   When   querying  whois.nic.ad.jp	english	 text  is
	      requested	 unless	 the  LANG  environment	 variable
	      specifies a Japanese locale.

       WHOIS_SERVER
	      This  server  will be queried if the program cannot
	      guess where the object is located. If the	 variable
	      does  not	 exist	then  whois.internic.net  will be
	      queried.

SEE ALSO
       RFC 812: NICNAME/WHOIS

       RIPE-157, RIPE-189: RIPE NCC Database Documentation

       Detailed help on available flags can be found in	 RIPE-157
       or  in  the  help file which can be obtained with the com-
       mand:

	      whois -h whois.ripe.net HELP

HISTORY
       This program closely tracks  the	 user  interface  of  the
       whois client developed at RIPE by Ambrose Magee and others
       on the base of the original BSD client.	I also added sup-
       port  for  the  protocol	 extensions  developed	by  David
       Kessens of QWest for the 6bone server.

AUTHOR
       Whois and this man  page	 were  written	by  Marco  d'Itri
       <md@linux.it> and are licensed under the GPL.

Marco d'Itri		 3 December 1999			2


