33.0 Masquerading and Firewalls

Whenever Linux is used in a networked environment, you can use the kernel functions that allow the manipulation of network packets to maintain a separation between internal and external network areas. The Linux netfilter framework provides the means to establish an effective firewall that keeps different networks apart. With the help of iptables—a generic table structure for the definition of rule sets—precisely control the packets allowed to pass a network interface. Such a packet filter can be set up quite easily with the help of SuSEfirewall2 and the corresponding YaST module.