DTEXT
=======

dtext is a text mode client for accessing a powerdnsapi server. The powerdnsapi
server is an interface against a PowerDNS database backend, over XMLRPC.

It has a subversion (svn) alike command set, and "checks out" your zone data
into Bind (alike) zone files.

This software REQUIRES a POWERDNSAPI SERVER to work! See http://powerdnsapi.sf.net/ .


Installation
------------
Put the dtext script into $PATH.
  cp dtext /usr/local/bin/
  chmod 0755 /usr/local/bin/dtext

Change to your ordinary user. 

  dtext --help

To check out a copy from your powerdnsapi server:
  dtext checkout http://your-server.com/powerdnsapi.cgi

dtext will the create a zone file for each zone available for it on the server. 
Example zone file:
"""
lkarsten@affor:~/dns> less servicecheck.local 
# HEADER-LINE-DO-NOT-EDIT-303205303206303230 2007090501 2 1871907106
                     193877c2r26c73       600 NS     ns1.foo.com
                     193878c2r19c09       600 NS     ns2.foo.com
foo                  9c2r09c41            600 TXT    zone for service monitoring
foo                  10c2r92c65           600 A      1.2.3.4
"""

Each line is similar to the Bind zone format. The main differences:
* comments start with # instead of ;.
* the header line must never be touched.
* instead of IN there is a field consisting of PowerDNS' record id, domain_id and two checksums used
to see if a line has been changed or not.

New lines can be added with a checksum of "-".


To commit your changes back into the database:
  dtext diff # see what dtext think is changed in the file.
  dtext commit # commit these changes.

Next time you should run ''dtext update'' before doing any changes, to synchronize the
files on disk with the ones in the database.



$GENERATE support
-----------------

Bind style $GENERATE is also supported. 

Format when adding a new $GENERATE record:
$GEN;lower-upper;fillchar;length;NAME - ttl type content

Example:
$GEN;9-100;0;3;dhcp-$   -       600 A 1.2.3.$

This line will create the following records in SQL:
dhcp-009.servicecheck.local 600 A 1.2.3.9
dhcp-010.servicecheck.local 600 A 1.2.3.10
dhcp-011.servicecheck.local 600 A 1.2.3.11
..
dhcp-100.servicecheck.local 600 A 1.2.3.100

The $ is expanded into 9, which is leftfilled with fillchars '0' 
until it is 3 chars wide.