I want to open port 1055 so I did the following command:

iptables -A INPUT -m state --state NEW -m tcp -p tcp --dport 1055 -j ACCEPT

Then I ran

iptables -L -n

to check the rule was there. Then I ran

/etc/init.d/firewall restart and my rule has gone...?

There is no man for firewall either.

What do I have to do to get this port opened permanently?

Thanks.

Your /etc/init.d/firewall script probably does a "iptables --flush" that removes all the rules. Edit the script and add your rule there so it's added on every boot. Firewall rules are kept in startup files afaik, at least I do that : ).

You tried 'man iptables' and that didn't work? Which Distro is this? Maybe you didn't install the 'extra documentation' or something?

That works. You could also use iptables-save and iptables-restore (if you want to preserve counters) or run a script that just adds your rule to the ones that your distro runs by default. Or if your distro does something involved with firewall rules, then you might need a bit of thought to see how you co-operate with what it does (e.g., SuSE, where you might want to use Yast).

There are a number of ways of skinning this particular cat and you just have to choose the most appropriate one for your circumstances.

Thanks! I added the rule to the firewall script and it worked a treat