Linux IP Masquerade HOWTO

David Ranch, dranch@trinnet.net

v1.95, November 14, 2000


This document describes how to enable the Linux IP Masquerade feature on a given Linux host. IP Masq is a form of Network Address Translation or NAT that allows internally connected computers that do not have one or more registered Internet IP addresses to have the ability to communicate to the Internet via your Linux box's single Internet IP address.

1. Introduction

2. Background Knowledge

3. Setting Up IP Masquerade

4. Configuring the other internal to-be MASQed machines

5. Testing IP Masquerade

6. Other IP Masquerade Issues and Software Support

7. Frequently Asked Questions

8. Miscellaneous


1. Introduction

1.1 Introduction to IP Masquerading or IP MASQ for short

This document describes how to enable the Linux IP Masquerade feature on a given Linux host. IP Masq is a form of Network Address Translation or NAT that allows internally connected computers that do not have one or more registered Internet IP addresses to have the ability to communicate to the Internet via your Linux box's single Internet IP address. It is possible to connect your internal machines to the Linux host with LAN technologies like Ethernet, TokenRing, FDDI, as well as other kinds of connections such as dialup PPP or SLIP links. This document uses Ethernet for the primary example since it is the most common scenario.

This document is intended for users using either of the stable Linux kernels: 2.0.38+ and 2.2.17+ on a IBM-compatible PC. Older kernels such as 1.2.x, 1.3.x, and 2.1.x are NOT covered in this document and, in some kernel versions, can be considered broken. Please upgrade to one of the stable Linux kernels before using IP Masquerading. The new 2.3 and 2.4 kernels with the new NetFilter code aren't covered yet but URLs are provided below. Once the feature set for Netfilter is final, the new code will be covered in this HOWTO.

If you are configuring IP Masq for use on a Macintosh, please email Taro Fukunaga, tarozax@earthlink.net for a copy of his short MkLinux version of this HOWTO.

1.2 Foreword, Feedback & Credits

As a new user, I found it very confusing to setup IP masquerade on Linux kernel, (1.2.x kernel back then). Although there is a FAQ and a mailing list, there was no document that was dedicated to it. There were also some requests on the mailing list for such a HOWTO. So, I decided to write this HOWTO as a starting point for new users and possibly create a building block for other knowledgeable users to use add to in the future. If you have any ideas for this document, corrections, etc., feel free to tell us so that we can make it better.

This document was originally based on the original FAQ by Ken Eves and numerous helpful messages from the IP Masquerade mailing list. A special thanks to Mr. Matthew Driver whose mailing list message inspired me to set up IP Masquerade and eventually writing this. Recently, David Ranch re-wrote the HOWTO and added a substantial number of sections to the HOWTO to make this document as complete as possible.

Please feel free to send any feedback or comments to ambrose@writeme.com and dranch@trinnet.net if you have any corrections or if any information/URLs/etc. is missing. Your invaluable feedback will certainly influence the future of this HOWTO!

This HOWTO is meant to be a fairly comprehensive guide on getting your Linux IP Masquerading network working in the shortest time possible. David is not a technical writer by trade so you might find the information in this document not as general and/or objective as it could be. The latest news and information regarding this HOWTO and other IP MASQ details can be found at the IP Masquerade Resource web page that we actively maintain. If you have any technical questions on IP Masquerade, please join the IP Masquerade Mailing List instead of sending email to David. Most MASQ problems are common for ALL MASQ users and can be easily solved by someone on the list. In addition to this, the response time of the IP MASQ email list will be much faster than a reply from David.

The latest version of this document can be found at the following sites which also contains HTML and postscript versions

1.3 Copyright & Disclaimer

This document is copyright(c) 2000 David Ranch and it is a FREE document. You may redistribute it under the terms of the GNU General Public License.

The information herein this document is, to the best of David's knowledge, correct. However, the Linux IP Masquerade feature is written by humans and thus, there is the chance that mistakes, bugs, etc. might happen from time to time.

No person, group, or other body is responsible for any damage on your computer(s) and any other losses by using the information on this document. i.e.

THE AUTHORS AND ALL MAINTAINERS ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DAMAGES INCURRED DUE TO ACTIONS TAKEN BASED ON THE INFORMATION IN THIS DOCUMENT.

Ok, with all this behind us... On with the show..


2. Background Knowledge

2.1 What is IP Masquerade?

IP Masquerade is a networking function in Linux similar to one-to-many NAT (Network Address Translation) found in many commercial firewalls and network routers. For example, if a Linux host is connected to the Internet via PPP, Ethernet, etc., the IP Masquerade feature allows other "internal" computers connected to this Linux box (via PPP, Ethernet, etc.) to also reach the Internet as well. Linux IP Masquerading allows for this functionality even though these internal machines don't have an officially assigned IP addresses.

MASQ allows a set of machines to invisibly access the Internet via the MASQ gateway. To other machines on the Internet, all this outgoing traffic will appear to be from the IP MASQ Linux server itself. In addition to the added functionality, IP Masquerade provides the foundation to create a VERY secure networking environment. With a well built firewall, breaking the security of a well configured masquerading system and internal LAN should be considerably difficult.

If you would like to know more on how MASQ differs from 1:1 NAT and Proxy solutions, please see the what-is-masq FAQ entry.

2.2 Current Status

IP Masquerade has been out for several years now and is fairly mature as Linux enters the 2.2.x kernel stage. Kernels since Linux 1.3.x have had MASQ support built-in. Today many individuals and commercial businesses are using it with excellent results.

Common network uses like Web browsing, TELNET, FTP, PING, TRACEROUTE, etc. work well over IP Masquerade. Other communications such as FTP, IRC, and Real Audio work well with the appropriate IP MASQ modules loaded. Other network-specific programs like streaming audio (MP3s, True Speech, etc) work too. Some fellow users on the mailing list have even had good results with video conferencing software.

It should also be noted that running IP Masquerade with only ONE network card (NIC) to MASQ between internal and external Ethernet networks is NOT recommended. For more details, please see the aliasing FAQ section for full details.

Anyway, please refer to Supported Client Software section for a more complete listing of software supported.

IP Masquerade works well as a server to other 'client machines' running various different OS and hardware platforms. There are successful cases with internal MASQed systems using :

The list goes on and on but the point is, if your OS platform talks TCP/IP, it should work with IP Masquerade!

2.3 Who Can Benefit From IP Masquerade?

2.4 Who Doesn't Need IP Masquerade?

2.5 How does IP Masquerade Work?

From the original IP Masquerade FAQ by Ken Eves:

  Here is a drawing of the most simple setup:

   SLIP/PPP         +------------+                         +-------------+
   to ISP provider  |  Linux     |         SLIP/PPP        | Anybox      |
  <---------- modem1|    #1      |modem2 ----------- modem3|             |
    111.222.121.212 |            |           192.168.0.100 |             |
                    +------------+                         +-------------+

    In the above drawing, a Linux box with IP_MASQUERADING is installed as
  Linux #1 and is connected to the Internet via SLIP/or/PPP using modem1.  It has
  an assigned public IP address of 111.222.121.212.  It also has modem2 connected
  to allow callers to dial-in and start a SLIP/or/PPP connection.  

    The second system (which doesn't have to be running Linux) calls into the
  Linux #1 box and starts a SLIP/or/PPP connection.  It does NOT have a publicly
  assigned IP address from the Internet so it uses the private address
  192.168.0.100. (see below for more info)

    With IP Masquerade and the routing configured properly, the machine
  "Anybox" can interact with the Internet as if it was directly connected to the
  Internet (with a few small exceptions).

Quoting Pauline Middelink:

  Do not forget to mention that the "ANYBOX" machine should have the 
  Linux #1 box configured as its gateway (whether is be the default route or just 
  a subnet is no matter). If the "ANYBOX" machine can not do this, the Linux 
  machine should be configured to support proxy arp for all routed addresses. But,
  the setup and configuration of proxy arp is beyond the scope of the document.

The following is an excerpt from a previous post on comp.os.linux.networking which
has been edited to match the names used in the above example:

   o I tell machine ANYBOX that my PPP or SLIPed Linux box is its gateway.
   o When a packet comes into the Linux box from ANYBOX, it will assign it 
     a new TCP/IP source port number and slap its own IP address in the packet
     header, saving the originals.  The MASQ server will then send the modified 
     packet out over the SLIP/PPP interface to the Internet.
   o When a packet returns from the Internet to the Linux box, Linux examines 
     if the port number is one of those ports that was assigned above.  If so, the
     MASQ server will get the original port and IP address, put them back in the 
     returned packet header, and send the packet to ANYBOX.
   o The host that sent the packet will never know the difference. 

Another IP Masquerading Example:

A typical example is given in the diagram below:


    +----------+
    |          |  Ethernet
    | A-box    |::::::
    |          |.2   : 192.168.0.x
    +----------+     :
                     :      +----------+   PPP   
    +----------+     :   .1 |  Linux   |   link
    |          |     :::::::| Masq-Gate|:::::::::::::::::::// Internet
    | B-box    |::::::      |          |  111.222.121.212
    |          |.3   :      +----------+
    +----------+     :
                     :
    +----------+     :
    |          |     :
    | C-box    |::::::
    |          |.4    
    +----------+  
                
    |                       |          |
    | <-Internal Network--> |          | <- External Network ---->
    |                       |          |

In this example, there are (4) computer systems that we are concerned about. There is also presumably something on the far right that your PPP connection to the Internet comes through (terminal server, etc.) and that there is some remote host (very far off to the right of the page) out on the Internet that you are interested communicating with). The Linux system Masq-Gate is the IP Masquerading gateway for ALL the internal network of machines A-box, B-box and C-box to get to the Internet. The internal network uses one of the several RFC-1918 assigned private network addresses where in this case, the Class-C network 192.168.0.0. The Linux box having the TCP/IP address 192.168.0.1 while the other systems having the addresses:

The three machines, A-box, B-box and C-box, can be running any operating system as long as they can speak TCP/IP. OSes such as Windows 95, Macintosh MacTCP or OpenTransport or even another Linux box can connect to other machines on the Internet. When running, the masquerading system or MASQ-gate converts all of these internal connections so that they appear to originate from masq-gate itself. MASQ then arranges so that data coming back in to a masqueraded connection is relayed back to the proper originating system. Because of this, the systems on the internal network see a direct route to the internet and are unaware that their data is being masqueraded. This is called a "Transparent" connection.

NOTE: Please see the FAQ for more details on topics such as:

2.6 Requirements for IP Masquerade on Linux 2.2.x

** Please refer to IP Masquerade Resource for the latest information. **

2.7 Requirements for IP Masquerade on Linux 2.3.x and 2.4.x

** Please refer to IP Masquerade Resource for the latest information. **

Please see the IP Masquerade Resource page for more information available on these patches and possibly others as well.

2.8 Requirements for IP Masquerade on Linux 2.0.x

** Please refer to IP Masquerade Resource for the latest information. **


3. Setting Up IP Masquerade

If your private network contains any vital information, think carefully in terms of SECURITY before implementing IP Masquerade. By default, IP MASQ becomes a GATEWAY for you to get to the Internet but it also can allow someone on the Internet to possibly get into your internal network.

Once you have IP MASQ functioning, it is HIGHLY recommended for the user to implement a STRONG IPFWADM/IPCHAINS firewall ruleset. Please see the Strong-IPFWADM-Rulesets and Strong-IPCHAINS-Rulesets sections below for more details.

3.1 Compiling the Kernel for IP Masquerade Support

If your Linux distribution already has all the required feature support compiled such as: and all MASQ-related modules compiled (most modular kernels will have all you need), then you will NOT need to re-compile the kernel. If you aren't sure if you Linux distribution is MASQ ready, see the MASQ-supported-Distributions section. If you don't trust this list or if your distribution isn't listed, try the following tests:

If they do, your kernel is ready to go.

If you can't find any of the above files or if your distribution does support IP Masquerading by default, ASSUME IT DOESN'T support MASQ by default. If so.. you'll need to compile a kernel but don't worry.. it isn't hard.

Regardless of native support or not, reading this section is still highly recommended as it contains other useful information.

Linux 2.2.x Kernels

Please see the 2.2.x-Requirements section for any required software, patches, etc.


  * Prompt for development and/or incomplete code/drivers (CONFIG_EXPERIMENTAL) [Y/n/?]
    - YES: though not required for IP MASQ, this option allows the kernel to create the MASQ modules and enable the option for port forwarding

  -- Non-MASQ options skipped --

  * Enable loadable module support (CONFIG_MODULES) [Y/n/?]
    - YES: allows you to load kernel IP MASQ modules

  -- Non-MASQ options skipped --

  * Networking support (CONFIG_NET) [Y/n/?]
    - YES: Enables the network subsystem

  -- Non-MASQ options skipped --

  * Sysctl support (CONFIG_SYSCTL) [Y/n/?] 
    - YES:  Enables the ability to enable disable options such as forwarding,
      dynamic IPs, LooseUDP, etc.

  -- Non-MASQ options skipped --

  * Packet socket (CONFIG_PACKET) [Y/m/n/?]
    - YES: Though this is OPTIONAL, this recommended feature will allow you to use TCPDUMP to debug any problems with IP MASQ

  * Kernel/User netlink socket (CONFIG_NETLINK) [Y/n/?] 
    - YES: Though this is OPTIONAL, this feature will allow the logging of advanced firewall issues such as routing messages, etc

  * Routing messages (CONFIG_RTNETLINK) [Y/n/?]
    - NO:  This option does not have anything to do with packet firewall logging

  -- Non-MASQ options skipped --

  * Network firewalls (CONFIG_FIREWALL) [Y/n/?]
    - YES: Enables the kernel to be comfigured by the IPCHAINS firewall tool

  * Socket Filtering (CONFIG_FILTER) [Y/n/?]
    - OPTIONAL:  Though this doesn't have anything do with IPMASQ, if you plan
      on implimenting a DHCP server on the internal network, you WILL need this
      option.

  * Unix domain sockets (CONFIG_UNIX) [Y/m/n/?]
    - YES:  This enables the UNIX TCP/IP sockets mechanisms

  * TCP/IP networking (CONFIG_INET) [Y/n/?]
    - YES: Enables the TCP/IP protocol

  -- Non-MASQ options skipped --

  * IP: advanced router (CONFIG_IP_ADVANCED_ROUTER) [Y/n/?]
    - YES:  This will allow you to configure advanced MASQ options farther down

  * IP: policy routing (CONFIG_IP_MULTIPLE_TABLES) [N/y/?]
    - NO: Not needed by MASQ though users who need advanced features such as
      TCP/IP source address-based or TOS-enabled routing will need to 
      enable this option.

  * IP: equal cost multipath (CONFIG_IP_ROUTE_MULTIPATH) [N/y/?]
    - NO: Not needed for normal MASQ functionality

  * IP: use TOS value as routing key (CONFIG_IP_ROUTE_TOS) [N/y/?] 
    - NO:  Not needed for normal MASQ functionality

  * IP: verbose route monitoring (CONFIG_IP_ROUTE_VERBOSE) [Y/n/?]
    - YES: This is useful if you use the routing code to drop IP spoofed packets (highly recommended) and you want to log them.

  * IP: large routing tables (CONFIG_IP_ROUTE_LARGE_TABLES) [N/y/?]
    - NO:  Not needed for normal MASQ functionality

  * IP: kernel level autoconfiguration (CONFIG_IP_PNP) [N/y/?] ?
    - NO:  Not needed for normal MASQ functionality

  * IP: firewalling (CONFIG_IP_FIREWALL) [Y/n/?]
    - YES: Enable the firewalling feature

  * IP: firewall packet netlink device (CONFIG_IP_FIREWALL_NETLINK) [Y/n/?]
    - OPTIONAL: Though this is OPTIONAL, this feature will allow IPCHAINS to copy some packets to UserSpace tools for additional checks

  * IP: transparent proxy support (CONFIG_IP_TRANSPARENT_PROXY) [N/y/?]
    - NO:  Not needed for normal MASQ functionality

  * IP: masquerading (CONFIG_IP_MASQUERADE) [Y/n/?]
    - YES: Enable IP Masquerade to re-address specific internal to external TCP/IP packets

  * IP: ICMP masquerading (CONFIG_IP_MASQUERADE_ICMP) [Y/n/?]
    - YES: Enable support for masquerading ICMP ping packets (ICMP error codes will be MASQed regardless).  This is an important feature for troubleshooting connections.

  * IP: masquerading special modules support (CONFIG_IP_MASQUERADE_MOD) [Y/n/?]
    - YES: Though OPTIONAL, this enables the OPTION to later enable the TCP/IP Port forwarding system to allow external computers to directly connect to specified internal MASQed machines.

  * IP: ipautofw masq support (EXPERIMENTAL) (CONFIG_IP_MASQUERADE_IPAUTOFW) [N/y/m/?]
    - NO:  IPautofw is a legacy method of port forwarding.  It is mainly old code and has been found to have some issues.  NOT recommended.

  * IP: ipportfw masq support (EXPERIMENTAL) (CONFIG_IP_MASQUERADE_IPPORTFW) [Y/m/n/?]
    - YES: Enables IPPORTFW which allows external computers on the Internet to directly communicate to specified internal MASQed machines.  This feature is typically used to access internal SMTP, TELNET, and WWW servers.  FTP port forwarding will need an additional patch as described in the FAQ section of the MASQ HOWTO.  Additional information on port forwarding is available in the Forwards section of this HOWTO.

  * IP: ip fwmark masq-forwarding support (EXPERIMENTAL) (CONFIG_IP_MASQUERADE_MFW) [Y/m/n/?]
    - OPTIONAL:  This is a new method of doing PORTFW.  With this option, IPCHAINS can mark packets that should have additional work on.  Using a UserSpace tool, much like IPMASQADM or IPPORFW, IPCHAINS would then automaticaly re-address the packets. Currently, this code is less tested than PORTFW but it looks promising.  For now, the recommended method is to use IPMASQADM and IPPORTFW.  If you have thoughts on MFW, please email me.

  * IP: optimize as router not host (CONFIG_IP_ROUTER) [Y/n/?]
    - YES:  This optimizes the kernel for the network subsystem though it isn't known if it makes a siginificant performance difference.

  * IP: tunneling (CONFIG_NET_IPIP) [N/y/m/?]
    - NO: This OPTIONAL section is for IPIP tunnels through IP Masq.  If you
      need tunneling/VPN functionality, it is recommended to use either GRE or
      IPSEC tunnels.

  * IP: GRE tunnels over IP (CONFIG_NET_IPGRE) [N/y/m/?]
    - NO:   This OPTIONAL selection is to enable PPTP and GRE tunnels through the IP MASQ box

    -- Non-MASQ options skipped -- 

  * IP: TCP syncookie support (not enabled per default) (CONFIG_SYN_COOKIES) [Y/n/?]
    - YES: HIGHLY recommended for basic TCP/IP network security

    -- Non-MASQ options skipped --

  * IP: Allow large windows (not recommended if <16Mb of memory) * (CONFIG_SKB_LARGE) [Y/n/?]
    - YES:  This is recommended to optimize Linux's TCP window 

    -- Non-MASQ options skipped --

  * Network device support (CONFIG_NETDEVICES) [Y/n/?]
    - YES: Enables the Linux Network device sublayer 

    -- Non-MASQ options skipped --

  * Dummy net driver support (CONFIG_DUMMY) [M/n/y/?] 
    - YES:  Though OPTIONAL, this option can help when debugging problems

  == Don't forget to compile in support for your network card !! ==

    -- Non-MASQ options skipped --

  == Don't forget to compile in support for PPP/SLIP if you use a modem or
     use a PPPoE DSL modem ==

    -- Non-MASQ options skipped --

  * /proc filesystem support (CONFIG_PROC_FS) [Y/n/?]
    - YES:  Required to enable the Linux network forwarding system

NOTE: These are just the components you need for IP Masquerade. You will need to select whatever other options needed for your specific setup.

Linux 2.0.x Kernels

Please see the 2.0.x-Requirements section for any required software, patches, etc.

  * Prompt for development and/or incomplete code/drivers (CONFIG_EXPERIMENTAL) [Y/n/?] 
    - YES: this will allow you to later select the IP Masquerade feature code 

  * Enable loadable module support (CONFIG_MODULES) [Y/n/?] 
    - YES: allows you to load kernel IP MASQ modules

  * Networking support (CONFIG_NET) [Y/n/?]
    - YES: Enables the network subsystem

  * Network firewalls (CONFIG_FIREWALL) [Y/n/?]
    - YES: Enables the IPFWADM firewall tool

  * TCP/IP networking (CONFIG_INET)
    - YES: Enables the TCP/IP protocol

  * IP: forwarding/gatewaying (CONFIG_IP_FORWARD)
    - YES: Enables Linux network packet forwarding and routing - Controlled by IPFWADM

  * IP: syn cookies (CONFIG_SYN_COOKIES) [Y/n/?]
    - YES: HIGHLY recommended for basic network security

  * IP: firewalling (CONFIG_IP_FIREWALL) [Y/n/?]
    - YES: Enable the firewalling feature

  * IP: firewall packet logging (CONFIG_IP_FIREWALL_VERBOSE) [Y/n/?]
    - YES: (OPTIONAL but HIGHLY recommended):  Allows for the reporting of firewall hits

  * IP: masquerading (CONFIG_IP_MASQUERADE [Y/n/?]
    - YES: Enable IP MASQ to re-address specific internal to external TCP/IP packets

  * IP: ipautofw masquerade support (EXPERIMENTAL) (CONFIG_IP_MASQUERADE_IPAUTOFW) [Y/n/?]
    - NO:  IPautofw is a legacy method of TCP/IP port forwarding.  Though it works, IPPORTFW 
           is a better way so IPAUTOFW is not recommended.

  * IP: ipportfw masq support (EXPERIMENTAL) (CONFIG_IP_MASQUERADE_IPPORTFW) [Y/n/?]
    - YES: This option is ONLY AVAILABLE VIA A PATCH for the 2.0.x kernels.  

           With this option, external computers on the Internet can directly communicate to specified internal MASQed machines.  This feature is typically used to access internal SMTP, TELNET, and WWW servers.  FTP port forwarding sometimes might require an additional patch as described in the FAQ section.  Additional information on port forwarding is available in the Forwards section of this HOWTO.

  * IP: ICMP masquerading (CONFIG_IP_MASQUERADE_ICMP) [Y/n/?]
    - YES: Enable support for masquerading ICMP packets. Though thought of as optional, many programs will NOT function properly with out ICMP support.

  * IP: loose UDP port managing (EXPERIMENTAL) (CONFIG_IP_MASQ_LOOSE_UDP) [Y/n/?] 
    - YES: This option is ONLY AVAILABLE VIA A PATCH for the 2.0.x kernels.

           With this option, internally masqueraded computers can play NAT-friendly games over the Internet.  Explicit details are given in the FAQ section of this HOWTO.

  * IP: always defragment (CONFIG_IP_ALWAYS_DEFRAG) [Y/n/?]
    - YES:  This feature optimizes IP MASQ connections - HIGHLY recommended

  * IP: optimize as router not host (CONFIG_IP_ROUTER) [Y/n/?] 
    - YES:  This optimizes the kernel for the network subsystem 

  * IP: Drop source routed frames (CONFIG_IP_NOSR) [Y/n/?]
    - YES: HIGHLY recommended for basic network security

  * Dummy net driver support (CONFIG_DUMMY) [M/n/y/?]
    - YES:  Though OPTIONAL, this option can help when debugging problems

  * /proc filesystem support (CONFIG_PROC_FS) [Y/n/?] 
    - YES:  Required to enable the Linux network forwarding system

NOTE: These are just the components you need for IP Masquerade functionality. You will need to also select whatever other options you need for your specific network and hardware setup.

Linux 2.3.x / 2.4.x Kernels

The 2.3.x and 2.4.x kernels are NOT covered in this HOWTO yet. Please see the 2.3.x/2.4.x-Requirements section for URLs, etc until it is covered by this or a NEW howto.

3.2 Assigning Private Network IP Addresses to the Internal LAN

Since all INTERNAL MASQed machines should NOT have official Internet assigned addressees, there must be specific and accepted way to allocate address to those machines without conflicting with anyone else's Internet addresses.

From the original IP Masquerade FAQ:

RFC 1918 is the official document on which IP addresses are to be used on a non-connected or "private" network. There are 3 blocks of numbers set aside specifically for this purpose


Section 3: Private Address Space

The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) has reserved the
following three blocks of the IP address space for private networks:

              10.0.0.0        -   10.255.255.255
              172.16.0.0      -   172.31.255.255
              192.168.0.0     -   192.168.255.255

We will refer to the first block as "24-bit block", the second as
"20-bit block", and to the third as "16-bit" block".  Note that the
first block is nothing but a single class A network number, while the
second block is a set of 16 contiguous class B network numbers, and
third block is a set of 255 contiguous class C network numbers.

For the record, my preference is to use the 192.168.0.0 network with a 255.255.255.0 Class-C subnet mask and this HOWTO reflects this. But, any of the above private networks are valid but just be SURE to use the correct subnet-mask.

So, if you're using a Class-C network, you should number your TCP/IP enabled machines as 192.168.0.1, 192.168.0.2, 192.168.0.3, ..., 192.168.0.x

192.168.0.1 is usually the internal gateway or Linux MASQ machine to get out to the external network. Please note that 192.168.0.0 and 192.168.0.255 are the Network and Broadcast address respectively (these addresses are RESERVED). Avoid using these addresses on your machines or your network will not work properly.

3.3 Configuring IP Forwarding Policies

At this point, you should have your kernel and other required packages installed. All network IP addresses, gateway, and DNS addresses should be configured on your Linux MASQ server as well. If you don't know how to configure your Linux network cards, please consult the HOWTOs listed in either the 2.0.x-Requirements or 2.2.x-Requirements sections.

Now, the only thing left to do is to configure the IP firewalling tools to both FORWARD and MASQUERADE the appropriate packets to the appropriate machine:

** This can be accomplished in many different ways. The following suggestions and examples worked for me, but you may have different ideas or needs.

** This section ONLY provides you with the bare minimum firewall ruleset to get the IP Masquerade feature working. Once IP MASQ has been successfully tested (as described later in this HOWTO), please refer to the Strong-IPFWADM-Rulesets and Strong-IPCHAINS-Rulesets sections for more secure firewall rulesets. In addition, check out the IPFWADM (2.0.x) and/or IPCHAINS(2.2.x) man pages for more details.

Linux 2.2.x Kernels

Please note that IPFWADM is no longer the firewall tool for manipulating IP Masquerading rules for both the 2.1.x and 2.2.x kernels. These new kernels now use the IPCHAINS tool. For a more detailed reason for this change, please see the FAQ section.

Create the file /etc/rc.d/rc.firewall with the following initial SIMPLE ruleset:


#!/bin/sh
#
# rc.firewall - Initial SIMPLE IP Masquerade test for 2.1.x and 2.2.x kernels 
#               using IPCHAINS
#
# Load all required IP MASQ modules
#
#   NOTE:  Only load the IP MASQ modules you need.  All current IP MASQ modules
#          are shown below but are commented out from loading.

# Needed to initially load modules
#
/sbin/depmod -a

# Supports the proper masquerading of FTP file transfers using the PORT method
#
/sbin/modprobe ip_masq_ftp

# Supports the masquerading of RealAudio over UDP.  Without this module,
#       RealAudio WILL function but in TCP mode.  This can cause a reduction
#       in sound quality
#
#/sbin/modprobe ip_masq_raudio

# Supports the masquerading of IRC DCC file transfers
#
#/sbin/modprobe ip_masq_irc


# Supports the masquerading of Quake and QuakeWorld by default.  This modules is
#   for for multiple users behind the Linux MASQ server.  If you are going to 
#   play Quake I, II, and III, use the second example.
#
#   NOTE:  If you get ERRORs loading the QUAKE module, you are running an old
#   -----  kernel that has bugs in it.  Please upgrade to the newest kernel.
#
#Quake I / QuakeWorld (ports 26000 and 27000)
#/sbin/modprobe ip_masq_quake
#
#Quake I/II/III / QuakeWorld (ports 26000, 27000, 27910, 27960)
#/sbin/modprobe ip_masq_quake 26000,27000,27910,27960


# Supports the masquerading of the CuSeeme video conferencing software
#
#/sbin/modprobe ip_masq_cuseeme

#Supports the masquerading of the VDO-live video conferencing software
#
#/sbin/modprobe ip_masq_vdolive


#CRITICAL:  Enable IP forwarding since it is disabled by default since
#
#           Redhat Users:  you may try changing the options in 
#                          /etc/sysconfig/network from:
#
#                       FORWARD_IPV4=false
#                             to
#                       FORWARD_IPV4=true
#
echo "1" > /proc/sys/net/ipv4/ip_forward


#CRITICAL:  Enable automatic IP defragmenting since it is disabled by default 
#           in 2.2.x kernels.  This used to be a compile-time option but the 
#           behavior was changed in 2.2.12
#
echo "1" > /proc/sys/net/ipv4/ip_always_defrag


# Dynamic IP users:
#
#   If you get your IP address dynamically from SLIP, PPP, or DHCP, enable this #   following option.  This enables dynamic-ip address hacking in IP MASQ, 
#   making the life with Diald and similar programs much easier.
#
#echo "1" > /proc/sys/net/ipv4/ip_dynaddr


# Enable the LooseUDP patch which some Internet-based games require
#
#  If you are trying to get an Internet game to work through your IP MASQ box,
#  and you have set it up to the best of your ability without it working, try
#  enabling this option (delete the "#" character).  This option is disabled
#  by default due to possible internal machine UDP port scanning 
#  vunerabilities.
#
#echo "1" > /proc/sys/net/ipv4/ip_masq_udp_dloose


# MASQ timeouts
#
#   2 hrs timeout for TCP session timeouts
#  10 sec timeout for traffic after the TCP/IP "FIN" packet is received
#  160 sec timeout for UDP traffic (Important for MASQ'ed ICQ users) 
#
/sbin/ipchains -M -S 7200 10 160


# DHCP:  For people who receive their external IP address from either DHCP or 
#        BOOTP such as ADSL or Cablemodem users, it is necessary to use the 
#        following before the deny command.  The "bootp_client_net_if_name" 
#        should be replaced the name of the link that the DHCP/BOOTP server 
#        will put an address on to?  This will be something like "eth0", 
#        "eth1", etc.
#
#        This example is currently commented out.
#
#
#/sbin/ipchains -A input -j ACCEPT -i bootp_clients_net_if_name -s 0/0 67 -d 0/0 68 -p udp

# Enable simple IP forwarding and Masquerading
#
#  NOTE:  The following is an example for an internal LAN address in the 
#         192.168.0.x network with a 255.255.255.0 or a "24" bit subnet mask
#         connecting to the Internet on interface eth0.
#
#         ** Please change this network number, subnet mask, and your Internet
#         ** connection interface name to match your internal LAN setup
#
/sbin/ipchains -P forward DENY
/sbin/ipchains -A forward -i eth0 -s 192.168.0.0/24 -j MASQ

Once you are finished with editing the /etc/rc.d/rc.firewall ruleset, make it executable by typing in chmod 700 /etc/rc.d/rc.firewall

Now that the firewall ruleset is ready to go, you need to let it run after every reboot. You could either do this by running it by hand everytime (a pain) or add it to the boot scripts. We have covered two methods below:

Notes on how users might want to change the above firewall ruleset:

You could have also enabled IP Masquerading on a PER MACHINE basis instead of the above method enabling an ENTIRE TCP/IP network. For example, say if I wanted only the 192.168.0.2 and 192.168.0.8 hosts to have access to the Internet and NOT any of the other internal machines. I would change the in the "Enable simple IP forwarding and Masquerading" section (shown above) of the /etc/rc.d/rc.firewall ruleset.


#!/bin/sh
#
# Enable simple IP forwarding and Masquerading
#
#  NOTE:  The following is an example to only allow IP Masquerading for the 
#         192.168.0.2 and 192.168.0.8 machines with a 255.255.255.0 or a 
#         "24" bit subnet mask connecting to the Internet on interface eth0.
#
#         ** Please change this network number, subnet mask, and your Internet
#         ** connection interface name to match your internal LAN setup
#
/sbin/ipchains -P forward DENY
/sbin/ipchains -A forward -i eth0 -s 192.168.0.2/32 -j MASQ
/sbin/ipchains -A forward -i eth0 -s 192.168.0.8/32 -j MASQ

Common mistakes:

What appears to be a common mistake with new IP Masq users is to make the first command:

/sbin/ipchains -P forward masquerade

Do NOT make your default policy be MASQUERADING. Otherwise someone who can manipulate their routing tables will be able to tunnel straight back through your gateway, using it to masquerade their OWN identity!

Again, you can add these lines to the /etc/rc.d/rc.firewall file, one of the other rc files you prefer, or do it manually every time you need IP Masquerade.

Please see the Strong-IPFWADM-Rulesets and Strong-IPCHAINS-Rulesets sections for a detailed guide on IPCHAINS and a strong IPCHAINS ruleset example. For additional details on IPCHAINS usage, please refer to http://netfilter.filewatcher.org/ipchains/ for the primary IPCHAINS site or the Linux IP CHAINS HOWTO Backup site

Linux 2.0.x Kernels

Create the file /etc/rc.d/rc.firewall with the following initial SIMPLE ruleset:


# rc.firewall - Initial SIMPLE IP Masquerade setup for 2.0.x kernels using 
#               IPFWADM
#
# Load all required IP MASQ modules
#
#   NOTE:  Only load the IP MASQ modules you need.  All current available IP 
#          MASQ modules are shown below but are commented out from loading.

# Needed to initially load modules
#
/sbin/depmod -a

# Supports the proper masquerading of FTP file transfers using the PORT method
#
/sbin/modprobe ip_masq_ftp

# Supports the masquerading of RealAudio over UDP.  Without this module, 
#       RealAudio WILL function but in TCP mode.  This can cause a reduction
#       in sound quality
#
#/sbin/modprobe ip_masq_raudio

# Supports the masquerading of IRC DCC file transfers
#
#/sbin/modprobe ip_masq_irc

# Supports the masquerading of Quake and QuakeWorld by default.  This modules is
#   for for multiple users behind the Linux MASQ server.  If you are going to 
#   play Quake I, II, and III, use the second example.
#
#   NOTE:  If you get ERRORs loading the QUAKE module, you are running an old
#   -----  kernel that has bugs in it.  Please upgrade to the newest kernel.
#
#Quake I / QuakeWorld (ports 26000 and 27000)
#/sbin/modprobe ip_masq_quake
#
#Quake I/II/III / QuakeWorld (ports 26000, 27000, 27910, 27960)
#/sbin/modprobe ip_masq_quake 26000,27000,27910,27960

# Supports the masquerading of the CuSeeme video conferencing software
#
#/sbin/modprobe ip_masq_cuseeme

#Supports the masquerading of the VDO-live video conferencing software
#
#/sbin/modprobe ip_masq_vdolive


#CRITICAL:  Enable IP forwarding since it is disabled by default 
#
#           Redhat Users:  you may try changing the options in 
#                          /etc/sysconfig/network from:
#
#                       FORWARD_IPV4=false  
#                             to
#                       FORWARD_IPV4=true
#
echo "1" > /proc/sys/net/ipv4/ip_forward

#CRITICAL:  Enable automatic IP defragmenting since it is disabled by default 
#
#           This used to be a compile-time option but the behavior was changed 
#           in 2.2.12.  This option is required for both 2.0 and 2.2 kernels.
#
echo "1" > /proc/sys/net/ipv4/ip_always_defrag

# Dynamic IP users:
#
#   If you get your Internet IP address dynamically from SLIP, PPP, or DHCP, 
#   enable this following option.  This enables dynamic-ip address hacking in 
#   IP MASQ, making the life with DialD, PPPd, and similar programs much easier.
#
#echo "1" > /proc/sys/net/ipv4/ip_dynaddr


# MASQ timeouts
#
#   2 hrs timeout for TCP session timeouts
#  10 sec timeout for traffic after the TCP/IP "FIN" packet is received
#  160 sec timeout for UDP traffic (Important for MASQ'ed ICQ users)
#
/sbin/ipfwadm -M -s 7200 10 160


# DHCP:  For people who receive their external IP address from either DHCP or 
#        BOOTP such as ADSL or Cablemodem users, it is necessary to use the 
#        following before the deny command.  The "bootp_client_net_if_name" 
#        should be replaced the name of the link that the DHCP/BOOTP server 
#        will put an address on to.  This will be something like "eth0", 
#        "eth1", etc.
#
#        This example is currently commented out.
#
#
#/sbin/ipfwadm -I -a accept -S 0/0 67 -D 0/0 68 -W bootp_clients_net_if_name -P udp


# Enable simple IP forwarding and Masquerading
#
#  NOTE:  The following is an example for an internal LAN address in the 
#         192.168.0.x network with a 255.255.255.0 or a "24" bit subnet mask
#         connecting to the Internet on interface eth0.
#
#         ** Please change this network number, subnet mask, and your Internet
#         ** connection interface name to match your internal LAN setup
#
/sbin/ipfwadm -F -p deny
/sbin/ipfwadm -F -a m -W eth0 -S 192.168.0.0/24 -D 0.0.0.0/0

Once you are finished with editing the /etc/rc.d/rc.firewall ruleset, make it executable by typing in "chmod 700 /etc/rc.d/rc.firewall"

Now that the firewall ruleset is ready to go, you need to let it run after every reboot. You could either do this by running it by hand everytime (a pain) or add it to the boot scripts. We have covered two methods below:

Notes on how users might want to change the above firewall ruleset:

You could have also enabled IP Masquerading on a PER MACHINE basis instead of the above method enabling an ENTIRE TCP/IP network. For example, say if I wanted only the 192.168.0.2 and 192.168.0.8 hosts to have access to the Internet and NOT any of the other internal machines. I would change the in the "Enable simple IP forwarding and Masquerading" section (shown above) of the /etc/rc.d/rc.firewall ruleset.

# Enable simple IP forwarding and Masquerading
#
#  NOTE:  The following is an example to only allow IP Masquerading for the 
#         192.168.0.2 and 192.168.0.8 machines with a 255.255.255.0 or a "24" 
#         bit subnet mask connecting to the Internet on interface eth0.
#
#         ** Please change this network number, subnet mask, and your Internet
#         ** connection interface name to match your internal LAN setup 
#
#         Please use the following in ADDITION to the simple ruleset above for 
#         specific MASQ networks.  
#
/sbin/ipfwadm -F -p deny
/sbin/ipfwadm -F -a m -W eth0 -S 192.168.0.2/32 -D 0.0.0.0/0
/sbin/ipfwadm -F -a m -W eth0 -S 192.168.0.8/32 -D 0.0.0.0/0

Common mistakes:

What appears to be a common mistake with new IP Masq users is to make the first command:

ipfwadm -F -p masquerade

Do NOT make your default policy be MASQUERADING. Otherwise someone who can manipulate their routing tables will be able to tunnel straight back through your gateway, using it to masquerade their OWN identity!

Again, you can add these lines to the /etc/rc.d/rc.firewall file, one of the other rc files you prefer, or do it manually every time you need IP Masquerade.

Please see the Strong-IPCHAINS-Rulesets and Strong-IPFWADM-Rulesets sections for a detailed guide and stronger examples of IPCHAINS and IPFWADM ruleset examples.


4. Configuring the other internal to-be MASQed machines

Besides setting the appropriate IP address for each internal MASQed machine, you should also set each internal machine with the appropriate gateway IP address of the Linux MASQ server and required DNS servers. In general, this is rather straight forward. You simply enter the address of your Linux host (usually 192.168.0.1) as the machine's gateway address.

For the Domain Name Service, you can add in any DNS servers that are available. The most apparent one should be the one that your Linux server is using. You can optionally add any "domain search" suffix as well.

After you have properly reconfigured the internal MASQed machines, remember to restart their appropriate network services or reboot them.

The following configuration instructions assume that you are using a Class C network with 192.168.0.1 as your Linux MASQ server's address. Please note that 192.168.0.0 and 192.168.0.255 are reserved TCP/IP address.

As it stands, the following Platforms have been tested as internal MASQed machines. This is only an EXAMPLE of all of the compatible OSes out there:

4.1 Configuring Microsoft Windows 95

  1. If you haven't installed your network card and adapter driver, do so now. Description of this is beyond the scope of this document.

  2. Go to the 'Control Panel' --> 'Network'.

  3. Click on Add --> Protocol --> Manufacture: Microsoft --> Protocol: 'TCP/IP protocol' if you don't already have it.

  4. Highlight the TCP/IP item bound to your Windows95 network card and select 'Properties'. Now goto the 'IP Address' tab and set IP Address to 192.168.0.x, (1 < x < 255), and then set the Subnet Mask to 255.255.255.0

  5. Now select the "Gateway" tab and add 192.168.0.1 as your gateway under 'Gateway' and hit "Add".

  6. Under the 'DNS Configuration' tab, make sure to put in a name for this machine and enter in your official domain name. If you don't have your own domain, put in the domain of your ISP. Now, add all of the DNS server that your Linux host uses (usually found in /etc/resolv.conf). Usually these DNS servers are located at your ISP though you can be running either your own CACHING or Authoritative DNS server on your Linux MASQ server as well. Optionally, you can add any appropriate domain search suffixes as well.

  7. Leave all the other settings as they are unless you know what you're doing.

  8. Click 'OK' on all dialog boxes and restart system.

  9. Ping the linux box to test the network connection: 'Start/Run', type: ping 192.168.0.1
    (This is only an INTERNAL LAN connection test, you can't ping the outside world yet.) If you don't see "replies" to your PINGs, please verify your network configuration.

  10. You can optionally create a HOSTS file in the C:\Windows directory so that you can ping the "hostname" of the machines on your LAN without the need for a DNS server. There is an example called HOSTS.SAM in the C:\windows directory.

4.2 Configuring Windows NT

  1. If you haven't installed your network card and adapter driver, do so now. Description of this is beyond the scope of this document.

  2. Go to 'Control Panel' --> 'Network' --> Protocols

  3. Add the TCP/IP Protocol and related Components from the 'Add Software' menu if you don't have TCP/IP service installed already.

  4. Under 'Network Software and Adapter Cards' section, highlight the 'TCP/IP Protocol' in the 'Installed Network Software' selection box.

  5. In 'TCP/IP Configuration', select the appropriate adapter, e.g. [1]Novell NE2000 Adapter. Then set the IP Address to 192.168.0.x (1 < x < 255), then set Subnet Mask to 255.255.255.0 and Default Gateway to 192.168.0.1

  6. Do not enable any of the following options (unless you know what you are e xactly doing):

  7. Click 'DNS', fill in the appropriate information that your Linux host uses (usually found in /etc/resolv.conf) and then click 'OK' when you're done.

  8. Click 'Advanced', be sure to DISABLE 'DNS for Windows Name Resolution' and 'Enable LMHOSTS lookup' unless you known what these options do. If you want to use a LMHOSTS file, it is stored in C:\winnt\system32\drivers\etc.

  9. Click 'OK' on all dialog boxes and restart system.

  10. Ping the linux box to test the network connection: 'File/Run', type: ping 192.168.0.1
    (This is only an INTERNAL LAN connection test, you can't ping the outside world yet.) If you don't see "replies" to your PINGs, please verify your network configuration.

4.3 Configuring Windows for Workgroup 3.11

  1. If you haven't installed your network card and adapter driver, do so now. Description of this is beyond the scope of this document.

  2. Install the TCP/IP 32b package if you don't have it already.

  3. In 'Main'/'Windows Setup'/'Network Setup', click on 'Drivers'.

  4. Highlight 'Microsoft TCP/IP-32 3.11b' in the 'Network Drivers' section, click 'Setup'.

  5. Set the IP Address to 192.168.0.x (1 < x < 255), then set the Subnet Mask to 255.255.255.0 and Default Gateway to 192.168.0.1

  6. Do not enable any of the following options (unless you know what you are exactly doing):

  7. Click 'DNS', fill in the appropriate information your Linux host uses (usually found in /etc/resolv.conf). Then click 'OK' when you're done with it.

  8. Click 'Advanced', check 'Enable DNS for Windows Name Resolution' and 'Enable LMHOSTS lookup' found in c:\windows.

  9. Click 'OK' on all dialog boxes and restart system.

  10. Ping the linux box to test the network connection: 'File/Run', type: ping 192.168.0.1
    (This is only an INTERNAL LAN connection test, you can't ping the outside world yet.) If you don't see "replies" to your PINGs, please verify your network configuration.

4.4 Configuring UNIX Based Systems

  1. If you haven't installed your network card and recompile your kernel with the appropriate adapter driver, do so now. Description of this is beyond the scope of this document.
  2. Install TCP/IP networking, such as the net-tools package, if you don't have it already.

  3. Set IPADDR to 192.168.0.x (1 < x < 255), then set NETMASK to 255.255.255.0, GATEWAY to 192.168.0.1, and BROADCAST to 192.168.0.255

    For example with Redhat Linux systems, you can edit the /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifcfg-eth0 file, or simply do it through the Control Panel. These changes are different for other UNIXes such as SunOS, BSDi, Slackware Linux, Solaris, SuSe, Debian, etc...). Please refer to your UNIX documentation for more information.

  4. Add your domain name service (DNS) and domain search suffix in /etc/resolv.conf and for the appropreiate UNIX versions, edit the /etc/nsswitch.conf file to enable DNS services.

  5. You may want to update your /etc/networks file depending on your settings.

  6. Restart the appropriate services, or simply restart your system.

  7. Issue a ping command: ping 192.168.0.1 to test the connection to your gateway machine.
    (This is only an INTERNAL LAN connection test, you can't ping the outside world yet.) If you don't see "replies" to your PINGs, please verify your network configuration.

4.5 Configuring DOS using NCSA Telnet package

  1. If you haven't installed your network card, do so now. Description of this is beyond the scope of this document.

  2. Load the appropriate packet driver. For example: using a NE2000 Ethernet card set for I/O port 300 and IRQ 10, issue nwpd 0x60 10 0x300

  3. Make a new directory, and then unpack the NCSA Telnet package: pkunzip tel2308b.zip

  4. Use a text editor to open the config.tel file

  5. Set myip=192.168.0.x (1 < x < 255), and netmask=255.255.255.0

  6. In this example, you should set hardware=packet, interrupt=10, ioaddr=60

  7. You should have at least one individual machine specification set as the gateway, i.e. the Linux host:

    name=default
    host=yourlinuxhostname
    hostip=192.168.0.1
    gateway=1
    

  8. Have another specification for a domain name service:

    name=dns.domain.com ; hostip=123.123.123.123; nameserver=1
    

    Note: substitute the appropriate information about the DNS that your Linux host uses

  9. Save your config.tel file

  10. Telnet to the linux box to test the network connection: telnet 192.168.0.1 If you don't receive a LOGIN prompt, please verify your network configuration.

4.6 Configuring MacOS Based System Running MacTCP

  1. If you haven't installed the appropriate driver software for your Ethernet adapter, do so now. Description of this is beyond the scope of this document.

  2. Open the MacTCP control panel. Select the appropriate network driver (Ethernet, NOT EtherTalk) and click on the 'More...' button.

  3. Under 'Obtain Address:', click 'Manually'.

  4. Under 'IP Address:', select class C from the popup menu. Ignore the rest of this section of the dialog box.

  5. Fill in the appropriate information under 'Domain Name Server Information:'.

  6. Under 'Gateway Address:', enter 192.168.0.1

  7. Click 'OK' to save the settings. In the main window of the MacTCP control panel, enter the IP address of your Mac (192.168.0.x, 1 < x < 255) in the 'IP Address:' box.

  8. Close the MacTCP control panel. If a dialog box pops up notifying you to do so, restart the system.

  9. You may optionally ping the Linux box to test the network connection. If you have the freeware program MacTCP Watcher, click on the 'Ping' button, and enter the address of your Linux box (192.168.0.1) in the dialog box that pops up. (This is only an INTERNAL LAN connection test, you can't ping the outside world yet.) If you don't see "replies" to your PINGs, please verify your network configuration.

  10. You can optionally create a Hosts file in your System Folder so that you can use the hostnames of the machines on your LAN. The file should already exist in your System Folder, and should contain some (commented-out) sample entries which you can modify according to your needs.

4.7 Configuring MacOS Based System Running Open Transport

  1. If you haven't installed the appropriate driver software for your Ethernet adapter, do so now. Description of this is beyond the scope of this document.

  2. Open the TCP/IP Control Panel and choose 'User Mode ...' from the Edit menu. Make sure the user mode is set to at least 'Advanced' and click the 'OK' button.

  3. Choose 'Configurations...' from the File menu. Select your 'Default' configuration and click the 'Duplicate...' button. Enter 'IP Masq' (or something to let you know that this is a special configuration) in the 'Duplicate Configuration' dialog, it will probably say something like 'Default copy'. Then click the 'OK' button, and the 'Make Active' button

  4. Select 'Ethernet' from the 'Connect via:' pop-up.

  5. Select the appropriate item from the 'Configure:' pop-up. If you don't know which option to choose, you probably should re-select your 'Default' configuration and quit. I use 'Manually'.

  6. Enter the IP address of your Mac (192.168.0.x, 1 < x < 255) in the 'IP Address:' box.

  7. Enter 255.255.255.0 in the 'Subnet mask:' box.

  8. Enter 192.168.0.1 in the 'Router address:' box.

  9. Enter the IP addresses of your domain name servers in the 'Name server addr.:' box.

  10. Enter the name of your Internet domain (e.g. 'microsoft.com') in the 'Starting domain name' box under 'Implicit Search Path:'.

  11. The following procedures are optional. Incorrect values may cause erratic behavior. If you're not sure, it's probably better to leave them blank, unchecked and/or un-selected. Remove any information from those fields, if necessary. As far as I know there is no way through the TCP/IP dialogs, to tell the system not to use a previously select alternate "Hosts" file. If you know, I would be interested.

    Check the '802.3' if your network requires 802.3 frame types.

  12. Click the 'Options...' button to make sure that the TCP/IP is active. I use the 'Load only when needed' option. If you run and quit TCP/IP applications many times without rebooting your machine, you may find that unchecking the 'Load only when needed' option will prevent/reduce the effects on your machines memory management. With the item unchecked the TCP/IP protocol stacks are always loaded and available for use. If checked, the TCP/IP stacks are automatically loaded when needed and un-loaded when not. It's the loading and unloading process that can cause your machines memory to become fragmented.

  13. You may ping the Linux box to test the network connection. If you have the freeware program MacTCP Watcher, click on the 'Ping' button, and enter the address of your Linux box (192.168.0.1) in the dialog box that pops up. (This is only an INTERNAL LAN connection test, you can't ping the outside world yet.) If you don't see "replies" to your PINGs, please verify your network configuration.

  14. You can optionally create a Hosts file in your System Folder so that you can use the hostnames of the machines on your LAN. The file may or may not already exist in your System Folder. If so, it should contain some (commented-out) sample entries which you can modify according to your needs. If not, you can get a copy of the file from a system running MacTCP, or just create your own (it follows a subset of the Unix /etc/hosts file format, described on RFC952). Once you've created the file, open the TCP/IP control panel, click on the 'Select Hosts File...' button, and open the Hosts file.

  15. Click the close box or choose 'Close' or 'Quit' from the File menu, and then click the 'Save' button to save the changes you have made.

  16. The changes take effect immediately, but rebooting the system won't hurt.

4.8 Configuring Novell network using DNS

  1. If you haven't installed the appropriate driver software for your Ethernet adapter, do so now. Description of this is beyond the scope of this document.

  2. Downloaded tcpip16.exe from The Novell LanWorkPlace page

  3. edit c:\nwclient\startnet.bat
    
    : (here is a copy of mine)
    SET NWLANGUAGE=ENGLISH
    LH LSL.COM
    LH KTC2000.COM
    LH IPXODI.COM
    LH tcpip
    LH VLM.EXE
    F:
    

  4. edit c:\nwclient\net.cfg
    
    : (change link driver to yours i.e. NE2000)
    Link Driver KTC2000
            Protocol IPX 0 ETHERNET_802.3    
            Frame ETHERNET_802.3     
            Frame Ethernet_II        
            FRAME Ethernet_802.2
    
    NetWare DOS Requester
               FIRST NETWORK DRIVE = F
               USE DEFAULTS = OFF
               VLM = CONN.VLM
               VLM = IPXNCP.VLM
               VLM = TRAN.VLM
               VLM = SECURITY.VLM
               VLM = NDS.VLM
               VLM = BIND.VLM
               VLM = NWP.VLM
               VLM = FIO.VLM
               VLM = GENERAL.VLM
               VLM = REDIR.VLM
               VLM = PRINT.VLM
               VLM = NETX.VLM
    
    Link Support
            Buffers 8 1500
            MemPool 4096
    
    Protocol TCPIP
            PATH SCRIPT     C:\NET\SCRIPT
            PATH PROFILE    C:\NET\PROFILE
            PATH LWP_CFG    C:\NET\HSTACC
            PATH TCP_CFG    C:\NET\TCP
            ip_address      192.168.0.xxx
            ip_router       192.168.0.1
    
    Change the IP address in the above "ip_address" field (192.168.0.x, 1 < x < 255) 
    and finally create c:\bin\resolv.cfg:
    
    SEARCH DNS HOSTS SEQUENTIAL
    NAMESERVER xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx
    NAMESERVER yyy.yyy.yyy.yyy
    
  5. Now edit the above "NAMESERVER" entries and replace them with the correct IP addresses for your local DNS server.

  6. Issue a ping command: ping 192.168.0.1 to test the connection to your gateway machine.
    (This is only an INTERNAL LAN connection test, you can't ping the outside world yet.) If you don't see "replies" to your PINGs, please verify your network configuration.

4.9 Configuring OS/2 Warp

  1. If you haven't installed the appropriate driver software for your Ethernet adapter, do so now. Description of this is beyond the scope of this document.

  2. Install the TCP/IP protocol if you don't have it already.

  3. Go to Programs/TCP/IP (LAN) / TCP/IP Settings

  4. In 'Network' add your TCP/IP Address (192.168.0.x) and set your netmask (255.255.255.0)

  5. Under 'Routing' press 'Add'. Set the Type to 'default' and type the IP Address of your Linux Box in the Field 'Router Address'. (192.168.0.1).

  6. Set the same DNS (Nameserver) Address that your Linux host uses in 'Hosts'.

  7. Close the TCP/IP control panel. Say yes to the following question(s).

  8. Reboot your system

  9. You may ping the Linux box to test the network configuration. Type 'ping 192.168.0.1' in a 'OS/2 Command prompt Window'. When ping packets are received all is ok.

4.10 Configuring OS/400 on a IBM AS/400

The description of how to configure TCP/IP on OS/400 version V4R1M0 running on a AS/400 is beyond the scope of this document.

1) To perform any communications configuration tasks on your AS/400, you must have the special authority of *IOSYSCFG (I/O System Configuration) defined in your user profile. You can check the characteristics of your user profile with the DSPUSRPRF command.

2) Type GO CFGTCP command th reach the Configure TCP/IP menu.

3) Select Option 2 - Work with TCP/IP Routes.

4) Enter a 1 on the Opt field to add a route. * In Route Destination type *DFTROUTE * In Subnet Mask type *NONE * In Type of Service type *NORMAL * In Nex Hop type the address of your gataway (the Linux box)

4.11 Configuring Other Systems

The same logic should apply to setting up other platforms. Consult the sections above. If you're interested in writing about any of systems that have not been covered yet, please send a detail setup instruction to ambrose@writeme.com and dranch@trinnet.net.


5. Testing IP Masquerade

Finally, it's time to give IP Masquerading an official try after all this hard work. If you haven't already rebooted your Linux box, do so to make sure the machines boots ok, executes the /etc/rc.d/rc.firewall ruleset, etc. Next, make sure that both the internal LAN connection and connection of your Linux hosts to the Internet is okay.

Follow these -10- tests to make sure all aspects of your MASQ setup is running properly:

5.1 Testing local PC connectivity

5.2 Testing internal Linux connectivity

5.3 Testing External Linux connectivity

5.4 Testing local PC to Linux connectivity

5.5 Testing internal MASQ ICMP forwarding

5.6 Testing external MASQ ICMP forwarding

5.7 Testing MASQ functionality without DNS

5.8 Testing MASQ functionality with DNS

5.9 Testing more MASQ functionality with DNS

5.10 Any remaining functional, performance, etc. issues...


6. Other IP Masquerade Issues and Software Support

6.1 Problems with IP Masquerade

Some TCP/IP application protocols will not currently work with Linux IP Masquerading because they either assume things about port numbers or encode TCP/IP addresses and/or port numbers in their data stream. These latter protocols need specific proxies or IP MASQ modules built into the masquerading code to make them work.

6.2 Incoming services

By default, Linux IP Masquerading cannot handle incoming services at all but there are a few ways of allowing them.

If you do not require high levels of security then you can simply forward or redirect IP ports. There are various ways of doing this though the most stable method is to use IPPORTFW. For more information, please see the Forwarders section.

If you wish to have some level of authorization on incoming connections then you will need to either configure TCP-wrappers or Xinetd to then allow only specific IP addresses through. The TIS Firewall Toolkit is a good place to look for tools and information.

More details on incoming security can be found in the TrinityOS document and at IP Masquerade Resource.

6.3 Supported Client Software and Other Setup Notes

** The Linux Masquerade Application list has a lot of good information regarding applications that work through Linux IP masquerading. This site was recently taken over by Steve Grevemeyer who implimented it with a full database backend. Its a great resource!

Generally, any application that uses standard TCP and UDP should work. If you have any suggestion, hints, etc., please see the IP Masquerade Resource for more details.

Network Clients that -Work- with IP Masquerade

General Clients:

Archie

all supported platforms, file searching client (not all archie clients are supported)

FTP

all supported platforms, with the ip_masq_ftp.o kernel module for active FTP connections.

Gopher client

all supported platforms

HTTP

all supported platforms, WWW surfing

IRC

all IRC clients on various supported platforms, DCC is supported via the ip_masq_irc.o module

NNTP (USENET)

all supported platforms, USENET news client

PING

all platforms, with ICMP Masquerading kernel option

POP3

all supported platforms, email clients

SSH

all supported platforms, Secure TELNET/FTP clients

SMTP

all supported platforms, email servers like Sendmail, Qmail, PostFix, etc.

TELNET

all supported platforms, remote session

TRACEROUTE

UNIX and Windows based platforms , some variations may not work

VRML

Windows(possibly all supported platforms), virtual reality surfing

WAIS client

all supported platforms

Multimedia and Communication Clients:

All H.323 programs

- MS Netmeeting, Intel Internet Phone Beta , and other H.323 applications - There are now two solutions to get this to work through IPMASQed connections:

There is a stable BETA module available on the MASQ WWW site or at http://www.coritel.it/projects/sofia/nat.html to work with Microsoft Netmeeting v3.x code on 2.2.x kernels. There is also another module version on the MASQ WWW site specifically for Netmeeting 2.x with 2.0.x kernels but it doesn't support Netmeeting v3.x.

Another commercial solution is the Equivalence's PhonePatch H.323 gateway.

Alpha Worlds

Windows, Client-Server 3D chat program

CU-SeeMe

all supported platforms, with the ip_masq_cuseeme module loaded, please see the CuSeeme section for more details.

ICQ

all supported clients. Requires the Linux kernel to be compiled with IPPORTFW support and ICQ is configured to be behind a NON-SOCKS proxy. A full description of this configuration is in the ICQ section.

Internet Phone 3.2

Windows, Peer-to-peer audio communications, people can reach you only if you initiate the call, but people cannot call you without a specific port forwarding setup. See the Forwarders section for more details.

Internet Wave Player

Windows, network streaming audio

Powwow

Windows, Peer-to-peer Text audio whiteboard communications, people can reach you only if you initiate the call, but people cannot call you without a specific port forwarding setup. See the Forwarders se ction for more details.

Real Audio Player

Windows, network streaming audio, higher quality available with the ip_masq_raudio UDP module

True Speech Player 1.1b

Windows, network streaming audio

VDOLive

Windows, with the ip_masq_vdolive patch

Worlds Chat 0.9a

Windows, Client-Server 3D chat program

Games - See the LooseUDP section for more details on the LooseUDP patch

Battle.net

Works but requires TCP ports 116 and 118 and UDP port 6112 IPPORTFWed to the game machine. See the Forwarders section for more details. Please note that FSGS and Bnetd servers still require IPPORTFW since they haven't been re-written to be NAT-friendly.

BattleZone 1.4

Works with LooseUDP patch and new NAT-friendly .DLLs from Activision

Dark Reign 1.4

Works with LooseUDP patch or requires TCP ports 116 and 118 and UDP port 6112 IPPORTFWed to the game machine. See the Forwarders section for more details.

Diablo

Works with LooseUDP patch or requires TCP ports 116 and 118 and UDP port 6112 IPPORTFWed to the game machine. Newer versions of Diablo use only TCP port 6112 and UDP port 6112. See the Forwarders section for more details.

Heavy Gear 2

Works with LooseUDP patch or requires TCP ports 116 and 118 and UDP port 6112 IPPORTFWed to the game machine. See the Forwarders section for more details.

Quake I/II/III

Works right out of the box but requires the ip_masq_quake module if there are more than one Quake I/II/III player behind a MASQ box. Also, this module only supports Quake I and QuakeWorld by default. If you need to support Quake II or non-default server ports, please see the module install section of the rc.firewall-2.0.x and rc.firewall-2.2.x rulesets.

StarCraft

Works with the LooseUDP patch and IPPORTFWing TCP and UDP ports 6112 to the internal MASQed game machine. See the Forwarders section for more details.

WorldCraft

Works with LooseUDP patch

Other Clients:

Linux net-acct package

Linux, network administration-account package

NCSA Telnet 2.3.08

DOS, a suite containing telnet, ftp, ping, etc.

PC-anywhere for Windows

MS-Windows, Remotely controls a PC over TCP/IP, only work if it is a client but not a host without a specific port forwarding setup. See the Forwarders section for more details.

Socket Watch

uses NTP - network time protocol

Clients that do not have full support in IP MASQ:

Intel Streaming Media Viewer Beta 1

Cannot connect to server

Netscape CoolTalk

Cannot connect to opposite side

WebPhone

Cannot work at present (it makes invalid assumptions about addresses).

6.4 Stronger IP Firewall (IPFWADM) Rulesets

This section provides a more in-depth guide on using the 2.0.x firewall tool, IPFWADM. See below for IPCHAINS rulesets

This example is for a firewall/masquerade system behind a PPP link with a static PPP address (dynamic PPP instructions are included but disabled). The trusted interface is 192.168.0.1 and the PPP interface IP address has been changed to protect the guilty :). I have listed each incoming and outgoing interface individually to catch IP spoofing as well as stuffed routing and/or masquerading. Anything not explicitly allowed is FORBIDDEN (well.. rejected actually). If your IP MASQ box breaks after implementing this rc.firewall script, be sure that you edited it for your configuration and check your /var/log/messages or /var/adm/messages SYSLOG file for any firewall errors.

For more comprehensive examples of a strong IP Masqueraded IPFWADM rulesets for PPP, Cablemodem users, etc., please see TrinityOS - Section 10 and GreatCircle's Firewall WWW page

NOTE: If you get a dynamically assigned TCP/IP address from your ISP (PPP, ADSL, Cablemodems, etc.), you CANNOT load this strong ruleset upon boot. You will either need to reload this firewall ruleset EVERY TIME you get a new IP address or make your /etc/rc.d/rc.firewall ruleset more intelligent. To do this for PPP users, carefully read and un-comment out the properly lines in the "Dynamic PPP IP fetch" section below. You can also find more details in the TrinityOS - Section 10 doc for more details on Strong rulesets and Dynamic IP addresses.

Please also be aware that there are several GUI Firewall creation tools available as well. Please see the FAQ section for full details.

Lastly, if you are using a STATIC PPP IP address, change the "ppp_ip="your.static.PPP.address"" line to reflect your address.

----------------------------------------------------------------

#!/bin/sh
#
# /etc/rc.d/rc.firewall: An example of a semi-STRONG IPFWADM firewall ruleset
#

PATH=/sbin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin

# testing, wait a bit then clear all firewall rules.
# uncomment following lines if you want the firewall to automatically
# disable after 10 minutes.
# (sleep 600; \
# ipfwadm -I -f; \
# ipfwadm -I -p accept; \
# ipfwadm -O -f; \
# ipfwadm -O -p accept; \
# ipfwadm -F -f; \
# ipfwadm -F -p accept; \
# ) &

# Load all required IP MASQ modules
#
#   NOTE:  Only load the IP MASQ modules you need.  All current IP MASQ modules
#          are shown below but are commented from loading.

# Needed to initially load modules
#
/sbin/depmod -a

# Supports the proper masquerading of FTP file transfers using the PORT method
#
/sbin/modprobe ip_masq_ftp

# Supports the masquerading of RealAudio over UDP.  Without this module,
#       RealAudio WILL function but in TCP mode.  This can cause a reduction
#       in sound quality
#
#/sbin/modprobe ip_masq_raudio

# Supports the masquerading of IRC DCC file transfers
#
#/sbin/modprobe ip_masq_irc


# Supports the masquerading of Quake and QuakeWorld by default.  This modules is
#   for for multiple users behind the Linux MASQ server.  If you are going to 
#   play Quake I, II, and III, use the second example.
#
#   NOTE:  If you get ERRORs loading the QUAKE module, you are running an old
#   -----  kernel that has bugs in it.  Please upgrade to the newest kernel.
#
#Quake I / QuakeWorld (ports 26000 and 27000)
#/sbin/modprobe ip_masq_quake
#
#Quake I/II/III / QuakeWorld (ports 26000, 27000, 27910, 27960)
#/sbin/modprobe ip_masq_quake 26000,27000,27910,27960


# Supports the masquerading of the CuSeeme video conferencing software
#
#/sbin/modprobe ip_masq_cuseeme

#Supports the masquerading of the VDO-live video conferencing software
#
#/sbin/modprobe ip_masq_vdolive


#CRITICAL:  Enable IP forwarding since it is disabled by default since
#
#           Redhat Users:  you may try changing the options in /etc/sysconfig/network from:
#
#                       FORWARD_IPV4=false
#                             to
#                       FORWARD_IPV4=true
#
echo "1" > /proc/sys/net/ipv4/ip_forward


#CRITICAL:  Enable automatic IP defragmenting since it is d