DNSSCOPE(1) PowerDNS Authoritative Server DNSSCOPE(1)

# [NAME](#NAME)

dnsscope - A PowerDNS nameserver debugging tool

# [SYNOPSIS](#SYNOPSIS)

**dnsscope** \[*OPTION*]... *INFILE*

# [DESCRIPTION](#DESCRIPTION)

**dnsscope** takes an *INFILE* in PCAP format. It generates some simple statistics outputs these to STDOUT.

# [OPTIONS](#OPTIONS)

[**INFILE**](#INFILE)

Path to a PCAP file.

[**-h*,* --help**](#h)

Show the help.

[**--rd**](#rd)

Only process packets in *INFILE* with the RD (Recursion Desired) flag set. By default, we process all DNS packets in *INFILE*.

[**--ipv4=**<state>****](#ipv4)

Process IPv4 packets. On by default, disable with **--ipv4 false**.

[**--ipv6=**<state>****](#ipv6)

Process IPv6 packets. On by default, disable with **--ipv6 false**.

[**-f,**--filter-name=**<domain>**](#f)

Only process packets within this domain

[**--full-histogram <msec>**](#full)

Write out histogram with specified bin-size to 'full-histogram'

[**--log-histogram**](#log)

Write out a log-histogram of response times to 'log-histogram'

[**--no-servfail-stats**](#no)

Remove servfail responses from latency statistics

[**--port**](#port)

The source and destination port to consider. Default is looking at packets from and to ports 53 and 5300.

[**--servfail-tree**](#servfail)

Figure out subtrees that generate servfails.

[**--stats-dir <directory>**](#stats)

Drop statistics files in this directory. Defaults to ./

[**-l, --load-stats**](#l)

Emit per-second load statistics (questions, answers, outstanding).

[**-w <file>, --write-failures **<file>****](#w)

Write weird packets to a PCAP file at *FILENAME*.

[**-v*,* --verbose**](#v)

Be more verbose.

# [SEE ALSO](#SEE_ALSO)

[pcap(3PCAP)](/man/enterprise-packages/pdns-5.1/pcap.3PCAP), [tcpdump(8)](/man/enterprise-packages/pdns-5.1/tcpdump.8)

# [AUTHOR](#AUTHOR)

PowerDNS.COM BV

# [COPYRIGHT](#COPYRIGHT)

PowerDNS.COM BV

October 2, 2026

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Document: dnsscope(1) from pdns-5.1 5.1.10-r9 (Chainguard OS)
Source: https://github.com/PowerDNS/pdns