[SOLVED] IPTABLES issue - can't initialise iptables table

[ThelaHunGinJeet]

Hi There
I'm posting this here as I'm not having much response on linuxquestions either (see here)

I've recompiled the kernel more times than I can now remember - at least 17. Been through kernel config to check that IPTABLES are compiled in (either modularly or as a fixed part of the kernel, they are).

Anything else I might be missing?

[FizzyWidget]

in terminal - emerge iptables
_________________
I know 43 ways to kill with a SKITTLE, so taste my rainbow bitch.

[ThelaHunGinJeet]

Yup! they're there. Hence me getting the iptables messages as per below:

[FizzyWidget]

when you re-compile your kernel how are you doing it, manually or genkernel?

I dont use an inirtd, so my way is normally to compile iptables as built-in, then

make && make modules_install

cp arch/x86_64/boot/bzImage /boot/kernel-3.1.6-gentoo

nano /boot/grub/menu.lst

change

[ThelaHunGinJeet]

Tried both - I'm in the process of experimenting with a problem that's cross referred to here

https://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic-p-4023935-highlight-.html#4023935

as I appeared to have two kernel versions floating around on my system. I'll let you know how this goes, but I'm becoming cynical and jaded so I think I'll be back to you shortly for updates...

[FizzyWidget]

personaly i would do this, although not advised

copy your .config file from the kernel you want to use

delete all directories under /usr/src

emerge gentoo sources (it should remake the symlink, if not you can do it)

copy the .config back

make oldconfig
make menuconfig

make the changes you want to make

then follow steps above, thats is if you are doing it manually, i haven't used genkernel so i cant help you with that if you do
_________________
I know 43 ways to kill with a SKITTLE, so taste my rainbow bitch.

[ThelaHunGinJeet]

Thank you Dark Foo. It appears that I was doing the genkernel version of your advice. However, despite that, I'm still having no joy.

Thanks for the ideas though. Any other concepts or things worth trying that you (or anyone else for that matter) can come up with?

[Thistled]

Best to build the kernel manually an ensure the following is set..

[ThelaHunGinJeet]

Thanks Thistled -

Remaining as un-optimistic as ever, I'm giving it a try right now. Let's hope and pray that this one works...

[ThelaHunGinJeet]

well, not the success I'd hoped for but then I wasn't that optimistic was I?

The result: When I'd re-compiled the kernel and copied the image over to /boot, it wouldn't boot using the new kernel (kernel panic)

So I rebooted on the previous kernel and then did the same with the given settings via

[Hu]

OP: do you need NAT support or are you working on this because you saw an error message? It is possible to build a standalone Linux machine with a firewall and not have NAT support at all.

[ThelaHunGinJeet]

Hi Hu,

I do unfortunately need to have iptables support (I'd prefer a life without but beggars can't be choosers, as they say!)

Ok, starting with the pastebin entry, I tried a

[ThelaHunGinJeet]

OK fixed it. I went and removed all references in /lib/modules/* (rm -rf), then re-emerged gentoo-sources, and then went and did genkernel --menuconfig all.

The actual error was not this:

[Hu]

This is one of the advantages of including features directly into the kernel image. Either they are present, fully functional, and confirmed via /proc/config.gz or they are absent and their absence is confirmed by /proc/config.gz. Monoliths cannot get into the halfway state that affected you.