How to change the target IP address using IPTables
 

I have a special situation where I need to change (mangle?) the target (destination) IP address for connections originating on an Ubuntu 11 host.

The idea is that if I browse, ssh, or ping, say 1.1.1.1, I really want it to go to 2.2.2.2.

On the hose itself I have just one rule:

iptables -t nat -A OUTPUT -d 1.1.1.1 -j DNAT --to 2.2.2.2

However, this does not work. I know I've done something like this before and it wasn't that hard. But this time I just can't get it to work nor can I find the answers.

Thanks for your help!

change OUTPUT to

-t nat -A PREROUTING etc etc

http://www.linuxhomenetworking.com/w...y_The_Firewall

My bad, I meant to say I entered:

iptables -t nat -A PREROUTING -d 1.1.1.1 -j DNAT --to 2.2.2.2

I tried lots of other stuff and pasted in the wrong thing previously.

Can you explain the network in a bit more detail?

Which machine are you putting the rule on? are there other rules getting in the way? ie: you probably need a rule in forward to accept the traffic.

Does the either of the machines have other rules preventing it from working?

Is there a router or something in between the two causing problems?

Whats in the logs?

Perhaps try being more specific with the rule ie:
-t nat -A PREROUTING -i $inIF -o $outIF -p tcp -m multiport --dports 22,80,etc -j DNAT --to-destination 2.2.2.2

Thanks for your input fukawi1.

This is on a laptop running Ubuntu 11, not a server. It is not acting as a router. There are no other rules. It couldn't be simpler.

I realize reading the man pages and such that this seems to be for a routing (net.ipv4.conf.all.forwarding = 1), but I want iptables on this host to mangle its own destination IP from 1.1.1.1 to 2.2.2.2.

The situation is something like this, but not quite. Say you have a website at 2.2.2.2, but there are links in the html that, instead of providing a relative reference, specify the IP address incorrectly as 1.1.1.1. Well, the links won't work because the IP is wrong. But if I fake my developers laptop out to go to 2.2.2.2 whenever 1.1.1.1 is specified then it will work. This isn't the real scenario, but gives you the idea.

The thing is, I did this years ago for another situation. It may be that they way iptables works has changed since then. Or maybe I actually did it on a server acting as a linux router. But it seems like this should be able to be done on a host.

---------- Post added 10-04-11 at 11:57 AM ----------

Oh, and I tried specifying protocol, etc. It still didn't work.

Thanks.

Well im out, i cant visualise the scenario clearly, and im the type that needs to be able to do draw a mental image of whats happening.

I havent done much with iptables on a host of its own, only on a router.

Sorry pal.

Thanks for trying.