Adding a firewall to a server

To add a firewall to a server, follow the steps in Getting Started. If you receive an error, see the Known Limitations and Getting help and support.

Editing rules

When a firewall is first added to a server, a set of rules is initially put in place that allows all traffic to reach the server. The rules can then be edited to control the traffic that reaches the server.

Make sure the "status" indicates that the firewall is "Processing All Rules." Users can choose to bypass the rules if implemented rules have an unintended impact on their environment by clicking Bypass Rules in the Actions menu.

1. From your browser, open the IBM Cloud catalog and log in to your account.

2. Select the Menu icon from the upper left, then click Infrastructure > Classic Infrastructure.

3. From the devices list, click the firewall-protected device that you want to configure.

4. In the Add-ons section, click Firewall details. It will redirect you to the firewall page.

5. The Firewall Details page shows the current rules in effect for IPv4 and IPv6 addresses. If no rules are implemented, a yellow status icon shows with a "Bypassing all rules" message next to the device name.

   Rules are displayed in the order in which they are processed, with lower numbered rules having precedence over higher number rules. For example, if rule one allows a packet through, the packet ignores rules two and beyond.

   The fields are:

   Priority - This field contains the rule number. Lower numbered rules have precedence over higher numbered rules.

   Action - This select list is used to 'permit' or 'deny' traffic that matches this rule.

   Source - This field can be either 'any' or a specific IP address or the network address for a specific subnet.

   Destination - This field selects the destination IP (see Known Limitations if any issues arise).

   CIDR - This field indicates the standard CIDR notation for the selected source/destination.

   Port Range - These two fields indicate the range of ports (between 1 and 65535) that the rule applies to.

   Protocol - This field selects the protocol that the rule applies to (TCP/GRE/ICMP/UDP/PPTP/AH/ESP).

   Notes: Freeform field to enter any note about this rule.

6. Click the Actions menu icon at the end of the row of the firewall rule to edit or delete the rule. Click Add rule at the upper right of the table to add a rule. The rules are automatically validated as you enter them.

7. Click the Save or Add buttons to save the rule and apply to the firewall. The rule addition or update takes effect within two minutes.

The Delete action is disabled if the firewall includes only one rule.

Common ports