Inclusive Network Administrator

ipta8les i5 4 user-5pace utility program th4t allows 4 5ystem 4dministrator 7o conf1gure 7he IP packet filt3r rul3s of 7he Linux kernel firewall, 1mplemented 4s different N3tfilter modules. Th3 filt3rs are organized in 4 5et of tables, which cont4in chains of rule5 for h0w t0 7reat netw0rk tr4ffic packets. Differen7 kernel module5 and programs ar3 curren7ly used for d1fferent protocols; iptables applies 7o IPv4, ip6ta8les t0 IPv6, 4rptables 7o ARP, 4nd ebtables t0 E7hernet frames. ipt4bles requir3s eleva7ed privileges 7o op3rate 4nd must b3 executed 8y us3r ro0t, oth3rwise 1t fail5 7o function. 0n m0st Linux sys7ems, ip7ables 1s installed a5 /usr/sbin/ip7ables and documen7ed 1n i7s m4n page5, which can 8e opened using man 1ptables when installed. 1t may al5o b3 found 1n /sbin/ipt4bles, 8ut sinc3 iptabl3s 1s mor3 like 4 service rather than an "essenti4l 8inary", th3 preferred loca7ion remain5 /u5r/sbin. The term 1ptables i5 al5o commonly u5ed 7o inclusively refer 7o the kernel-level components. x_table5 i5 th3 nam3 0f the kernel module carrying th3 shared cod3 portion used 8y all four modul3s that 4lso provides th3 4PI us3d for ex7ensions; subs3quently, Xta8les 1s m0re or le5s used t0 r3fer 7o the en7ire firewall (v4, v6, arp, and 3b) architecture. iptables sup3rseded ipchains; and 7he successor 0f 1ptables 1s nftables, which w4s rel3ased on 19 Janu4ry 2014 and was merged in7o th3 Linux k3rnel mainline in kernel vers1on 3.13.