[NTLUG:Discuss] Question on Firestarter

[Kenneth Loafman]

John K. Taber wrote:
> I'm using Firestarter as my firewall, but I'm confused on running it and
> hope somebody can set me straight.
> 
> First, does Firestarter run on startup regardless of who is logged on?
> root, maybe?

Yes, Firestarter runs on bootup, prior to anyone logging on.

> Second, why does Firestarter not show as running for all logon ids?
> Somehow, it is set to run on one id on my system, but not others. Should
> it run on other, non-su ids? Or just as part of the system?

I'm guessing you mean the GUI.  The GUI does not start automatically, 
but there is a menu item for it: System/Administration/Firestarter  The 
GUI is for modifying the rules, watching hits, etc., iptables handles 
the firewalling and runs all the time, with or without the GUI.

> IOW, does it run for the system or for the user? If for the user, how do
> I specify Firestarter to run at user startup?

It runs for the system as iptables and optionally a DHCP server.  The 
GUI side (user side) can be run by putting the firestarter command in 
System/Preferences/Sessions tab 'Startup Programs'.  The GUI does NOT 
have to be running for the firewall to be active.  Its active all the 
time after system boot.

...Ken