I am running Fedora core 3 and I have firestarter installed for my firewall management. I was under the impression that firestarted managed iptables? But if I go to the comand promt and try typing "iptables" and whatever other comands it says iptables is not a valid command!! I made sure that iptables was running as a service and it wasnt, so i started it up. Restarted my computer and it said it was running as a service tried the comand again and I get nothing...... Am I wrong to think that firestarter is running my iptables.
Would it be running a different firewall? Am I retarted and iptables is not a command? and my final question..... Is santa clause real?

You need to be logged in as root to use iptables..

iptables merely does some syntax checking and loads rules into the netfilter kernel space.
The iptables script in /etc/init.d uses a separate ruleset from the Firestarter ruleset.
Make sure it doesn't start or it will chew the Firestarter ruleset

Ok so I dont want iptables to start as a service becuase firestarter is already doing that and it will eat my firestarter ruleset?

and if I go in under root I can actually access comands via the promt for iptables if I didnt want to use firestarter???

Sorry for the dumb questions but I am a BSD guy. i am used to my ipfw firewall and my lack of gui on that....
But I decided it was a good idea to format my parents windows xp machine and install fedora since that XP machine has a habit of dieing way to often and I am sick of supporting it, at least with fedora the updates are easy, the setup is really easy, I have had zero problems with any configuration or instalation tasks do to older supported hardware, I would have to say its much easier then windows to configure in my opinion and much nicer looking. And if its anything like my slackware and BSD configurations it wont break under normal internet usage..

Oh I had one anouther question though

On fedora is there a virus scan or adware thing I should be installing? Or is this not an issue, I know there are worms that can propigate on linux systems but I have not heard much on virus scan or adware on such systems. I have never had a problem with such things on my bsd. But then again I dont go off doing things that would lead to virii outbreaks .

--- Ok so I dont want iptables to start as a service becuase firestarter is already doing that and it will eat my firestarter ruleset? ---
Correct.. Last one to load wins.. So only have one loading..

--- and if I go in under root I can actually access comands via the promt for iptables if I didnt want to use firestarter??? ---
Correct again..
A useful iptables tutorial is at http://iptables-tutorial.frozentux.n...-tutorial.html

--- On fedora is there a virus scan or adware thing I should be installing?
Not absolutely necessary, but with a large number of browser bugs at the moment affecting nearly all of them, it could be a wise idea.

There are a good selection of proxies that can filter virii.
Have a look at this thread.. http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...hreadid=293758

You can have them running quietly in the background as transparent proxies auto updating.

sweet, thanx for all the info!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!