home *** CD-ROM | disk | FTP | other *** search
- ferm README
- ===========
-
- Max Kellermann <max@foo-projects.org>
- Auke Kok <sofar@foo-projects.org>
-
-
- Description
- -----------
-
- ferm is a frontend for iptables. It reads the rules from a structured
- configuration file and calls iptables(8) to insert them into the
- running kernel.
-
- ferm's goal is to make firewall rules easy to write and easy to
- read. It tries to reduce the tedious task of writing down rules, thus
- enabling the firewall administrator to spend more time on developing
- good rules than the proper implementation of the rule.
-
- To achieve this, ferm uses a simple but powerful configuration
- language, which allows variables, functions, arrays, blocks. It also
- allows you to include other files, allowing you to create libraries of
- commonly used structures and functions.
-
- ferm, pronounced "firm", stands for "For Easy Rule Making".
-
-
- Installing ferm
- ---------------
-
- make install
-
- The package does not need to be compiled, just make sure you have perl
- (which is present in any base linux system) and iptables (including
- iptables-save and iptables-restore), and the a kernel supporting
- netfilter.
-
- Run the make install install script as root to install the package in
- it's best location, so it can be reached from the command line when
- called. The manual page will also be installed.
-
- That's all!
-
-
- Uninstalling ferm
- -----------------
-
- make uninstall
-
- Ferm can now be quickly removed from the system by issuing a "make
- uninstall" command (as root, of course). This will not remove any
- configuration files of course!
-
-
- Getting started
- ---------------
-
- The ferm(1) manpage provides extensive documentation about the ferm
- syntax. To get started, try one of the example files, and modify it
- for your needs.
-
- If your machine is already firewalled and you wish to switch to ferm,
- the "import-ferm" script comes handy. It converts the current
- firewall rules to a ferm configuration file:
-
- import-ferm >/etc/ferm/ferm.conf
-
- After that, let ferm install the new ruleset:
-
- ferm /etc/ferm/ferm.conf
-
- Be careful, don't lock youself out of remote machines! Use the
- interactive mode (--interactive, -i) often!
-