Commands Reference, Volume 6

whois Command

Purpose

Identifies a user by user ID or alias.

Syntax

whois [ -h HostName ] [ . | ! ] [ * ] Name [ . . . ]

whois ?

Description

The /usr/bin/whois command searches a user name directory and displays information about the user ID or nickname specified in the Name parameter. The whois command tries to reach ARPANET host internic.net where it examines a user-name database to obtain information. The whois command should be used only by users on ARPANET. Refer to RFC 812 for more complete information and recent changes to the whois command.

Note: If your network is on a national network, such as ARPANET, the host name is hard-coded as internic.net.

The Name [ . . . ] parameter represents the user ID, host name, network address, or nickname on which to perform a directory search. The whois command performs a wildcard search for any name that matches the string preceding the optional ... (three periods).

Flags

.	Forces a name-only search for the name specified in the Name parameter.
!	Displays help information for the nickname or handle ID specified in the Name parameter.
*	Displays the entire membership list of a group or organization. If there are many members, this can take some time.
?	Requests help from the ARPANET host.
-h HostName	Specifies an alternative host name. The default host name on the ARPANET is `internic.net`. You can contact the other major ARPANET user-name database, `nic.ddn.mil`, by specifying the -h HostName flag.

Examples

To display information about ARPANET registered users by the name of Smith, enter:
```
whois Smith
```
To display information about ARPANET registered users that use the handle Hobo, enter:
whois !Hobo
To display information about ARPANET registered users with the name of John Smith, enter:
whois .Smith, John
To display information about ARPANET registered users whose names or handles begin with the letters HEN, enter:
whois HEN ...
To get help information for the whois command, enter:
whois ?

Related Information

The who command.

The named.conf file format.

Network Overview in AIX 5L Version 5.2 System Management Guide: Communications and Networks.