User guide

Chapter 2. Securing Your Network
72
Figure 2.5. Firewall Configuration Tool
Note
The Firewall Configuration Tool only configures a basic firewall. If the system needs more
complex rules, refer to Section 2.6, “IPTables” for details on configuring specific iptables rules.
2.5.2.2. Enabling and Disabling the Firewall
Select one of the following options for the firewall:
• Disabled — Disabling the firewall provides complete access to your system and does no security
checking. This should only be selected if you are running on a trusted network (not the Internet) or
need to configure a custom firewall using the iptables command line tool.
Warning
Firewall configurations and any customized firewall rules are stored in the /etc/sysconfig/
iptables file. If you choose Disabled and click OK, these configurations and firewall rules
will be lost.
• Enabled — This option configures the system to reject incoming connections that are not in
response to outbound requests, such as DNS replies or DHCP requests. If access to services
running on this machine is needed, you can choose to allow specific services through the firewall.
If you are connecting your system to the Internet, but do not plan to run a server, this is the safest
choice.