firewall

[naeem]

I have a Fedora Core 2 installation and iptables doesn't seem to work. When I try to start iptables (/etc/init.d/iptables start), I get the following:

lsmod: QM_MODULES: Function not implemented

Can someone recommend a 'safe' way of starting the firewall to allow SSH, HTTP, HTTPS on our production server?

Thanks.

[retep]

We compile iptables into our kernel (i.e. don't use modules). You'll get the QM_MODULES error but you can ignore it.

[naeem]

Ok, but then why is it then that /etc/init.d/iptables status returns 'Firewall is stopped.' ? And if I try and follow the instructions in your Linux Firewall HowTo, I get the following error in WebMin:

An error occured getting IPtables status from the command /etc/rc.d/init.d/iptables status. This probably indicates that your system has been configured to use IPchains instead of IPtables.

[retep]

iptable rules are successfully used by many of our customers on an ongoing basis.

If you feel the scripts are getting confused by the fact iptables is compiled into the kernel, then you can always verify the rules that are in play by running something like nmap or another port scanner against your VPS IP.