HINFO Record Reference
This article serves as a reference for the formal structure, format, and key technical details of HINFO (Host Information) records.
HINFO record format
HINFO records have a type code of 13 and are defined in RFC 1035. The record’s data section (RDATA) is composed of two primary components: a description of the CPU and a description of the operating system.
The canonical representation is:
<name> <TTL> IN HINFO <cpu> <os>
Both the <cpu> and <os> fields are defined as character-strings. If either string contains a space, it must be enclosed in double quotes.
In the DNSimple record editor, a HINFO record is represented by the following customizable elements:
| Element | Description |
|---|---|
| Name | The host name for the record, without the domain name. This is generally referred to as “subdomain”. |
| TTL | The time-to-live in seconds. This is the amount of time the record is allowed to be cached by a resolver. |
| CPU | A description of the host’s central processing unit. |
| OS | A description of the host’s operating system. |
Example HINFO record
A single HINFO record should exist for each host.
server.example.com. IN HINFO "SPARCstation-20" "Solaris 2.5.1"
In this example, the record for server.example.com specifies the hardware as a SPARCstation-20 and the operating system as Solaris 2.5.1.
Security considerations
Due to the sensitive information they can reveal, HINFO records are considered a security risk when used on publicly accessible servers. The information about a host’s hardware and OS can be used by malicious actors to identify potential vulnerabilities and exploit them.
Have more questions?
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