Arno's IPTABLES Firewall Script

So, let’s chat about Arno's IPTABLES firewall script. This whole thing started when I needed to secure my single-homed Linux machine at work. I was on the hunt for a good script but couldn’t find anything that really fit what I needed. The only one that came close was made by a guy named 'Seven'.

Getting Involved with Seven's Script

I ended up helping Seven for several months by sending him patches and reporting bugs. During this time, I learned a ton about scripting with iptables myself. Unfortunately, Seven stopped working on his script, and I never got to chat with him again! That’s when I thought, why not keep his work going? So, I started my own version based on what he had created.

ADSL Connection and New Features

Fast forward to the summer of 2002—I finally got an ADSL connection at home! At first, I tried out the iptables firewall from the awesome ADSL4LINUX package (ADSL4LINUX-package). But soon enough, I realized it didn’t have some key features like port-forwarding or flexibility with “trusted hosts.” That just wouldn’t work for me!

Making It Work for Home and Work

I also didn’t want to juggle different firewalls for my home and work machines. So, I decided to use what I'd learned from ADSL4LINUX to add ADSL support into my version of the firewall.

The Evolution of My Script

A year later, there are barely any traces left of Seven's original script; I've made tons of improvements! One big upgrade is adding ADSL and NAT support—check out the features page for more details on what’s new.

Future Plans for Version 2

Looking ahead to version 2 (alpha), I'm planning a complete rewrite of the script. My goal is to make it even more flexible and user-friendly for everyone who needs a solid firewall solution.