shorewall_code/Shorewall-docs/support.htm
2003-03-06 23:41:31 +00:00

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<h1 align="center"><font color="#ffffff">Shorewall Support Guide<img
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<p> <b><big><big><font color="#ff0000">While I don't answer Shorewall <20>questions
emailed directly to me, I try to spend some time each day answering questions
on the Shorewall Users Mailing List and on the Support Forum.</font></big><span
style="font-weight: 400;"></span></big></b></p>
<h2 align="center"><big><font color="#ff0000"><b>-Tom Eastep</b></font></big></h2>
<h1>Before Reporting a Problem</h1>
<i>"Well at least you tried to read the documentation, which is a lot
more than some people on this list appear to do.</i>"<br>
<br>
<div align="center">- Wietse Venema - On the Postfix mailing list<br>
</div>
<br>
There are a number of sources
for problem solution information. Please try these before you
post.
<h3> </h3>
<h3> </h3>
<ul>
<li>More than half of the questions posted on the
support list have answers directly accessible from the <a
href="shorewall_quickstart_guide.htm#Documentation">Documentation Index</a><br>
<br>
</li>
<li> The <a
href="FAQ.htm">FAQ</a> has solutions to more than 20 common problems.
</li>
</ul>
<h3> </h3>
<ul>
<li> The <a
href="troubleshoot.htm">Troubleshooting</a> Information contains
a number of tips to help you solve common problems. </li>
</ul>
<h3> </h3>
<ul>
<li> The <a
href="errata.htm"> Errata</a> has links to download updated
components. </li>
</ul>
<h3> </h3>
<ul>
<li> The Mailing
List Archives search facility can locate posts about similar
problems: </li>
</ul>
<h2> </h2>
<h2>Mailing List Archive Search</h2>
<form method="post" action="http://lists.shorewall.net/cgi-bin/htsearch">
<p> <font size="-1"> Match:
<select name="method">
<option value="and">All </option>
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<option value="score">Score </option>
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<option value="title">Title </option>
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<option value="revtitle">Reverse Title </option>
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name="config" value="htdig"> <input type="hidden" name="restrict"
value="[http://lists.shorewall.net/pipermail/.*]"> <input type="hidden"
name="exclude" value=""> <br>
Search: <input type="text"
size="30" name="words" value=""> <input type="submit" value="Search">
</p>
</form>
<h2>Problem Reporting Guidelines </h2>
<i>"Let me see if I can translate your message into a
real-world example. It would be like saying that you have three
rooms at home, and when you walk into one of the rooms, you detect
this strange smell. Can anyone tell you what that strange smell is?<br>
<br>
Now, all of us could do some wonderful guessing as to
the smell and even what's causing it. You would be absolutely amazed
at the range and variety of smells we could come up with. Even more
amazing is that all of the explanations for the smells would be completely
plausible."<br>
</i><br>
<div align="center"> - <i>Russell Mosemann</i> on the Postfix mailing list<br>
</div>
<br>
<h3> </h3>
<ul>
<li>Please remember we only know what is posted in your message.
Do not leave out any information that appears to be correct, or was
mentioned in a previous post. There have been countless posts by people
who were sure that some part of their configuration was correct when
it actually contained a small error. We tend to be skeptics where detail
is lacking.<br>
<br>
</li>
<li>Please keep in mind that you're asking for <strong>free</strong>
technical support. Any help we offer is an act of generosity, not
an obligation. Try to make it easy for us to help you. Follow good,
courteous practices in writing and formatting your e-mail. Provide
details that we need if you expect good answers. <em>Exact quoting </em>
of error messages, log entries, command output, and other output is better
than a paraphrase or summary.<br>
<br>
</li>
<li> Please don't describe
your environment and then ask us to send you custom
configuration files. We're here to answer your questions but
we can't do your job for you.<br>
<br>
</li>
<li>When reporting a problem, <strong>ALWAYS</strong> include
this information:</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<ul>
<li>the exact version of Shorewall you are running.<br>
<br>
<b><font color="#009900">shorewall version</font><br>
</b> <br>
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>the exact kernel version you are running<br>
<br>
<font color="#009900"><b>uname -a<br>
<br>
</b></font></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>the complete, exact output of<br>
<br>
<font color="#009900"><b>ip addr show<br>
<br>
</b></font></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>the complete, exact output of<br>
<br>
<font color="#009900"><b>ip route show<br>
<br>
</b></font></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>If your kernel is modularized, the exact output from<br>
<br>
<font color="#009900"><b>lsmod</b></font><br>
<br>
</li>
<li>the exact wording of any <code
style="color: green; font-weight: bold;">ping</code> failure responses<br>
<br>
</li>
<li>If you installed Shorewall using one of the QuickStart Guides,
please indicate which one. <br>
<br>
</li>
<li><b>If you are running Shorewall under Mandrake using the Mandrake
installation of Shorewall, please say so.</b><br>
<br>
</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><b>NEVER </b>include the output of "<b><font
color="#009900">iptables -L</font></b>". Instead,<font
color="#ff0000"><u><i><big> <b>if you are having connection problems of
any kind then:</b></big></i></u></font><br>
<br>
1. <b><font color="#009900">/sbin/shorewall/reset</font></b><br>
<br>
2. Try the connection that is failing.<br>
<br>
3.<b><font color="#009900"> /sbin/shorewall status &gt; /tmp/status.txt</font></b><br>
<br>
4. Post the /tmp/status.txt file as an attachment.<br>
<br>
</li>
<li>As a general matter, please <strong>do not edit the diagnostic
information</strong> in an attempt to conceal your IP address, netmask,
nameserver addresses, domain name, etc. These aren't secrets, and concealing
them often misleads us (and 80% of the time, a hacker could derive
them anyway from information contained in the SMTP headers of your post).<strong></strong></li>
</ul>
<ul>
</ul>
<h3> </h3>
<ul>
</ul>
<h3> </h3>
<ul>
<li> Do you see
any "Shorewall" messages ("<b><font color="#009900">/sbin/shorewall
show log</font></b>") when you exercise the function that
is giving you problems? If so, include the message(s) in your post
along with a copy of your /etc/shorewall/interfaces file.<br>
<br>
</li>
<li>Please include any of the Shorewall configuration files
(especially the /etc/shorewall/hosts file if you have
modified that file) that you think are relevant. If you
include /etc/shorewall/rules, please include /etc/shorewall/policy
as well (rules are meaningless unless one also knows the policies).
</li>
</ul>
<h3> </h3>
<ul>
</ul>
<h3> </h3>
<ul>
<li> If an error occurs
when you try to "<font color="#009900"><b>shorewall start</b></font>",
include a trace (See the <a href="troubleshoot.htm">Troubleshooting</a>
section for instructions). </li>
</ul>
<h3> </h3>
<ul>
<li>
<h3><b>The list server limits posts to 120kb so don't post GIFs of
your network layout, etc. to the Mailing List -- your
post will be rejected.</b></h3>
</li>
</ul>
The author gratefully acknowleges that the above list was heavily
plagiarized from the excellent LEAF document by <i>Ray</i> <em>Olszewski</em>
found at <a
href="http://leaf-project.org/pub/doc/docmanager/docid_1891.html">http://leaf-project.org/pub/doc/docmanager/docid_1891.html</a>.<br>
<h2>Please post in plain text</h2>
<blockquote> </blockquote>
A growing number of MTAs serving list subscribers are rejecting
all HTML traffic. At least one MTA has gone so far as to blacklist
shorewall.net "for continuous abuse" because it has been my policy to
allow HTML in list posts!!<br>
<br>
I think that blocking all HTML is a Draconian way to control
spam and that the ultimate losers here are not the spammers but the
list subscribers whose MTAs are bouncing all shorewall.net mail. As
one list subscriber wrote to me privately "These e-mail admin's need
to get a <i>(expletive deleted)</i> life instead of trying to rid the planet
of HTML based e-mail". Nevertheless, to allow subscribers to receive list
posts as must as possible, I have now configured the list server at shorewall.net
to strip all HTML from outgoing posts.<br>
<h2>Where to Send your Problem Report or to Ask for Help</h2>
<blockquote>
<h4>If you run Shorewall under Bering -- <span
style="font-weight: 400;">please post your question or problem
to the <a href="mailto:leaf-user@lists.sourceforge.net">LEAF Users
mailing list</a>.</span></h4>
<b>If you run Shorewall under MandrakeSoft Multi Network
Firewall (MNF) and you have not purchased an MNF license from MandrakeSoft
then you can post non MNF-specific Shorewall questions to the </b><a
href="mailto:shorewall-users@lists.shorewall.net">Shorewall users mailing
list</a> or to the <a
href="http://www.developercube.com/forum/index.php?c=8">Shorewall Support
Forum</a>. <b>Do not expect to get free MNF support on the list or forum.</b><br>
<p>Otherwise, please post your question or problem to the <a
href="mailto:shorewall-users@lists.shorewall.net">Shorewall users mailing
list</a> or to the <a
href="http://www.developercube.com/forum/index.php?c=8">Shorewall Support
Forum</a>.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>To Subscribe to the mailing list go to <a
href="http://lists.shorewall.net/mailman/listinfo/shorewall-users">http://lists.shorewall.net/mailman/listinfo/shorewall-users</a>
.</p>
<p align="left"><font size="2">Last Updated 3/4/2003 - Tom Eastep</font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Trebuchet MS"><a href="copyright.htm"> <font
size="2">Copyright</font> <20> <font size="2">2001, 2002, 2003 Thomas M. Eastep.</font></a></font><br>
</p>
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