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".
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!
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!
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!