119

I create the rules to iptables. But, when I restart the computer, the rules don't work! How to save the rules on Ubuntu ?


The was problem solved!

do:

After of the write the commands iptables, do:

 1. sudo su
 2. iptables-save > /etc/iptables.rules
 3. In /etc/network/if-pre-up.d/iptables,put:

 #!/bin/sh
 iptables-restore < /etc/iptables.rules
 exit 0

 4. After, in /etc/network/if-post-down.d/iptables,put:
 #!/bin/sh
 iptables-save -c > /etc/iptables.rules
 if [ -f /etc/iptables.rules ]; then
 iptables-restore < /etc/iptables.rules
 fi
 exit 0
 5. After, give permission to the scripts:
 sudo chmod +x /etc/network/if-post-down.d/iptables
 sudo chmod +x /etc/network/if-pre-up.d/iptables

More information: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/IptablesHowTo#Saving_iptables Good luck!

8
  • I've done everything! And don't work!!
    – Gustavo
    Apr 6, 2012 at 6:27
  • 1
    It would be helpful if you updated the ticket with specifics on what you have tried, on what results you have encountered. It would also be good to know whatever it is a desktop install or a server install; whatever it uses NetworkManager or not.
    – andol
    Apr 6, 2012 at 6:30
  • 4
    Since you found a solution, you should accept the answer that led you to that result or you should put your answer content in the "answer" box and then accept your own answer. This allows this question to be marked as "answered" in the system, which will help other users if they have a similar problem. Have a good day!
    – weberc2
    Apr 6, 2012 at 20:24
  • Message during installation of iptables-persistent is as follows: Current iptables rules can be saved to the configuration file /etc/iptables/rules.v4. These rules will then be loaded automatically during system startup. Rules are only saved automatically during package installation. See the manual page of iptables-save(8) for instructions on keeping the rules file up-to-date. Mar 11, 2018 at 12:28

2 Answers 2

185

The easy way is to use iptables-persistent.

Install iptables-persistent:

sudo apt-get install iptables-persistent

After it's installed, you can save/reload iptables rules anytime:

sudo /etc/init.d/iptables-persistent save 
sudo /etc/init.d/iptables-persistent reload

Ubuntu 16.04 Server

The installation as described above works without a problem, but the two commands for saving and reloading above do not seem to work with a 16.04 server. The following commands work with that version:

sudo netfilter-persistent save
sudo netfilter-persistent reload
4
  • 4
    Thank you, I was wondering why it wasn't working with Ubuntu 16.04
    – bluesman
    Dec 12, 2016 at 21:59
  • 3
    netfilter-persistent is run as a service offering hooks at shutdown time and at at boot time. After installing iptables-persistent as a plugin for netfilter-persistent, the iptables-persistent plugin should be called by netfilter-persistent service to do the saving and loading. But in some configurations seem to intentionally skip writing. The reason for that is and how to control it is opaque. Mar 11, 2018 at 12:22
  • Message during installation of iptables-persistent is as follows: Current iptables rules can be saved to the configuration file /etc/iptables/rules.v4. These rules will then be loaded automatically during system startup. Rules are only saved automatically during package installation. See the manual page of iptables-save(8) for instructions on keeping the rules file up-to-date. Mar 11, 2018 at 12:24
  • 2
    Therefore, I can't see this answer as an actual answer. Mar 11, 2018 at 12:26
55

The generic method of saving iptables rules is to use the command iptables-save, which writes to stdout.

iptables-save > /etc/network/iptables.rules

The output created by iptables-save can then by read on stdin by iptables-restore. If on a server, without NetworkManager, a common approach is then to use a pre-up command in /etc/network/interfaces.

iface eth0 inet static
        ....
        pre-up iptables-restore < /etc/network/iptables.rules

If you are using NetworkManager it should be possible to run the same command from a script created under /etc/NetworkManager/dispatcher.d/. In the Community Documentation - iptables howto, see Configuration on Startup for NetworkManager for more information.

Do note that the commands iptables, iptables-save and iptables-restore are IPv4 only. For IPv6 traffic the equivalent commands are ip6tables, ip6tables-save and ip6tables-restore.

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