How do i backup a dns server? I am using rsync but the key dont match

I rsync, /etc/named.conf /etc/rndc.conf and -r /var/named

But when I type
rndc status
I get
rndc: connect failed: connection refused

Is there a way to input a key? How does bind know that its key and the key in /etc/named.conf and /etc/rndc.conf are different?

Hi abefroman,

Can you please be a little more specific - you say you're rsyncing your BIND config files, but from where and to where? Also, where are you running those commands?

I assume you've got a running DNS servers running on a box, and you're on a workstation syncing the contents from the server to your workstation... but I'm lost on where you're trying to run rndc. If you're running it on the workstation then chances are that your named.conf config file is set up to only allow rndc to connect from the same machine using the key for extra security.

The rndc application will read /etc/rndc.conf and send the key found inside it to the running BIND server which must match the access control list of IPs in the /etc/named.conf running on the server itself and it also must match the key on the server.

I have 2 servers, I want to rsync -r /var/named/ and /etc/named.conf so that I have a backup primary dns servers available in case both my primary and secondary go down. After I rsync I do a rndc reload but get the error...
rndc: connect failed: connection refused

I put the same key in /etc/rndc.conf on both servers and /etc/named.conf will match as I am rsync'ing it but it still won't let me connect.

I even tried rsync'ing /etc/rndc.conf

What am I doing wrong?