whois(1) whois(1)
NAME
whois - Internet user name directory service
SYNOPSIS
whois[ -h host] identifier
DESCRIPTION
whois searches for an Internet directory entry for a given identifier.
whois accesses databases holding network information, NIC handles (NIC
= Network Information Center) and the names of network administrators.
OPTIONS
-h host
Name of a host listed in the /etc/hosts file.
identifier
You specify either a name such as "Smith" or an NIC handle such
as "SRI-NIC". The NIC (Network Information Center) is a service
run by SRI International that administers IP network numbers and
DNS domain names. An NIC handle is a unique database identifier
assigned to a network. NIC handles are administered by SRI Inter-
national.
To restrict the search to names only, you precede the argument
with a period (.). To restrict the search to handles only, you
precede the argument with an exclamation point (!).
To search for a group or organization entry, you precede the
argument with an asterisk (*). The entire membership list of the
group will then be displayed.
You may combine the asterisk with either a period or an exclama-
tion point.
Adding three periods ... to identifier causes whois to look for
any names/handles which begin with identifier. For example,
"Fra..." matches Frank, Frances, Fraggle, etc.
EXAMPLES
Example 1
To look for the name or handle "Sylvia":
$ whois Sylvia
Example 2
To look for the handle "SRI-NIC":
$ whois !SRI-NIC
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whois(1) whois(1)
Example 3
To look for the name "Rod Stewart":
$ whois .Stewart,Rod
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