---
name: "rtquery"
section: "8"
platform: "freebsd"
package: "base"
version: "16.0-CURRENT-20261027-61c70dc16a79"
release: "FreeBSD 16.0-CURRENT (2026-10-27)"
platforms: ["freebsd"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/rtquery"
---

# rtquery(8)

query routing daemons for their routing tables

## NAME

**rtquery** – query routing daemons for their routing tables

## DEPRECATION NOTICE

The **rtquery** utility is deprecated and will be removed in FreeBSD 16.0.

## SYNOPSIS

**rtquery** \[**-np1**\] \[**-w** *timeout*\] \[**-r** *addr*\] \[**-a** *secret*\] *host* *...*

**rtquery** \[**-t** *op*\] *host* *...*

## DESCRIPTION

The **rtquery** utility is used to query a RIP network routing daemon, such as [routed(8)](/routed/8.md), for its routing table by sending a *request* or *poll* command. The routing information in any routing *response* packets returned is displayed numerically and symbolically.

The **rtquery** utility by default uses the *request* command. When the **-p** option is specified, **rtquery** uses the *poll* command, an undocumented extension to the RIP protocol supported by the commercial **gated** routing product. When querying **gated**, the *poll* command is preferred over the *request* command because the response is not subject to Split Horizon and/or Poisoned Reverse, and because some versions of **gated** do not answer the *request* command. The [routed(8)](/routed/8.md) utility does not answer the *poll* command, but recognizes *requests* coming from **rtquery** and so answers completely.

The **rtquery** utility is also used to turn tracing on or off in [routed(8)](/routed/8.md).

The following options are available:

- **-n**

  displays only the numeric network and host numbers instead of both numeric and symbolic.

- **-p**

  uses the *poll* command to request full routing information from **gated**. This is an undocumented extension RIP protocol supported only by **gated**.

- **-1**

  queries using RIP version 1 instead of RIP version 2.

- **-w** *timeout*

  changes the delay for an answer from each host. By default, each host is given 15 seconds to respond.

- **-r** *addr*

  asks about the route to destination *addr*.

- **-a** *passwd=XXX*

  - **-a** *md5\_passwd=XXX\|KeyID*

  causes the query to be sent with the indicated cleartext or MD5 password.

- **-t** *op*

  changes tracing, where *op* is one of the following. Requests from processes not running with UID 0 or on distant networks are generally ignored by the daemon except for a message in the system log. **gated** is likely to ignore these debugging requests.

- *on=tracefile*

  turns tracing on into the specified file. That file must usually have been specified when the daemon was started or be the same as a fixed name, often */etc/routed.trace*.

- *more*

  increases the debugging level.

- *off*

  turns off tracing.

- *dump*

  dumps the daemon's routing table to the current tracefile.

## SEE ALSO

[routed(8)](/routed/8.md) *Routing Information Protocol, RIPv1*, RFC1058. *Routing Information Protocol, RIPv2*, RFC1723.