installing or creating firewall in linux os
 

Hi Everybody,
I am student doing project on Linux operating system. This is the first time I am using this operating system. My project is to create or install a firewall and write some user login scripts. I have installed linux server in my PC. I have no idea how to create or install firewall. Do I need to load any firewall software in PC? Can I create Filtering Firewalls and Proxy Servers together? Or I have to select only one? Please guide me.
thanks

Re: installing or creating firewall in linux os
 

You can get lots of software firewalls...shorewall, for one.

If your task is actually building one, you can use IPtables.

I'm not an expert in security, but those are 2 common ways to go (the above)

Like slack_master said, you're gonna want to look into www.iptables.org/ if you want to write your own. There are some good tutorials there, and some example scripts (and other links) here: www.linuxguruz.org/iptables/

I believe that you have to get different software for the proxy stuff. Check out squid.... It's the only one that I can think of at the moment.

What distro are you using? Most of them come with iptables. Many times however, the kernel version and/or the firewall patches are a little outdated. You may want to look into patching your kernel w/ patch-o-matic, but then again you may not need any of the newer features.

If this is the first time you are using Linux I would suggest downloading some firewall software. Even though the tutorials on iptables are good you can lose all your hair setting them up and I think that if your first task as a newbie was to set up iptables you would be turned off from Linux real fast. May I suggest downloading firestarter . Its easy to set up and can save you a lot of aggrevation. Don't get me wrong; iptables are powerfull and cool but they are not something a noobie would be estatic to deal with.

As for the logon scripts you would have to be a bit more specific as to what exactly you want them to do. Chances are somebody already wrote the scripts.

Maybe he means the .xsession files (either the global one or user one) ??

True. If you want to get some ideas on what is possible, check out this site:

www.dotfiles.com/