I have a Linux router on my hands that has been configured before I was hired to maintain it - it works, but everything is at a bare minimum. What I need to do, is duplicate this router''s configuration (not the file system) on a newer machine. The question is - with my still being a beginner at Linux and all - what files should I most keep an eye out for. The two that immediately come to mind are iptables.conf and dhcpd.conf. The former, however, does not exist on the hard drive (neither do the updatedb and/or locate commands). This leads me to my first, slightly more specific question: Q: can I access the iptables script if iptables.conf does not exist on the system so as to not be forced to re-create the whole mess in the new routre based on iptables output DHCP is one thing that so far completely eludes me: Q: besides etc/dhcp.conf, what files define its behavior? An SSH server is up and running in the router, accepteing connections on a non-standard port. I can access root directly from a remote host, but for security''s sake I''d like to disable SSH''ing into root and create a new user for myself. The Linux installation doesn''t have the adduser command: Q: how would I go about creating a new user in this case And finally, will interfaces still function if I create them on one set of network cards and later exchange all of these cards? The reason I''m asking is that, I only have one external IP to play with and I need to keep the old router intact up and running, but I also need to configure the new router to make it as compatible with the old configuration as possible. This poses a couple of problems: I cannot duplicate the system config bit for bit since I won''t be able to set the new router in its proprietary position - instead I figured I''d derive its IP from the existing router cia DHCP and create two new standalone pseudo-subnetworks (eg 192.168.50.0 instead of something like 192.168.30.0, which it should be when the router setup is finalized). Will this chain subnetting present unexpected surprises and will it be easy to reconfigure later on to substitute the previous router?

Let me get this straight: You don''t know how these things work, and someone''s trusting you with their security?

If that someone is your boyfriend, I suppose it''s OK. If that someone is paying you money, shame on you!

If you man iptables or ipchains (depending on kernel version) it''ll tell you how to dump the current configuration. If you look through the boot scripts (the rc family) you''ll see what the boot configuration is.

Thanks for the boyfriend joke, but no - not gay here .

man''ing iptables returns this:


/bin/groff: can''t find `DESC'' file
/bin/groff:fatal error: invalid device `ascii''


Howevrer this is irrelevant because I know how iptables functions and I know how to update it. It''s just that I''ve been handed a Linux system that effectively defies rationality - it doesn''t have almost anything installed and everything that it does have installed is mostly "out of place", such as iptables.conf not being a valid file on the system, etc.

As for getting paid - yes I am, but "security" isn''t exactly what I''m there to guarantee - my job is to make sure the incoming connection is properly split into subnets and that everyone has a steady connection speed. I''m learning on the job - since I''m, by trade, a developer, certain things, such as Linux aren''t my speciality. It''s mostly fun, though so you can blame me .