General Information on Rule Templates

The IBM Firewall is shipped with a set of predefined rule templates. You can select from this list of preexising templates and you can also create your own. Rules on the Firewall are used to screen traffic passing through the Firewall. Rules can be set up to either allow or disallow traffic on the basis of certain criteria. The rule template function itself allows you to customize, add to, copy or delete existing rules. These rules, in turn, can be used to define Services. The figure below illustrates how rule templates are combined to make up services and how services can be components of connections.

Further Information

Using the Configuration Client to Create Rule Templates
Controlling Traffic Through the Firewall

Rule Template List

The list shows all of the rule templates that have been defined on this Firewall. To select, click on the row desired and then select an action by clicking a button on the right.

Note that many of these rule templates are predefined. These predefined rules are depicted with the icon. You cannot edit predefined rule templates. However, you can easily use the copy function to copy a rule and then modify it's parameters.

Icon Key

Create new rule template
Predefined rule template (cannot modify)
User defined rule template (can modify)

Search

In the "Search" field, enter a character or set of characters that you wish to find in the list. Click the "Find" button to execute the search. Note that this function is an alphabetical search through the "Name" column of the list only. Note also that if the set of characters is not matched, the closest approximate set of characters will be selected.

Find

After entering a character or set of characters in the "Search" field, click the "Find" button to execute the search. Note that this function is an alphabetical search through the "Name" column of the list onlyNote also that if the set of characters is not matched, the closest approximate set of characters will be selected.

Top

Click "Top" to move to the top of the list.

Bottom

Click "Bottom" to move to the bottom of the list.

Open

After selecting an item on the list, press the "Open" button to view or modify that item. To add a new item, select "NEW" item on the list and press "Open".

Copy

The "Copy" button helps save time when adding new items to the list. After selecting an item on the list, press the "Copy" button to create an item that is similar to the selected item. Pressing the "Copy" button will open a new item that will copy field values from the item that was selected on the list. You will then be able to modify field values as needed for the new item.

Delete

Press the "Delete" button to delete a selected item from the list.

Close

Press the "Close" button to eliminate the window from your display.

Refresh

Click "Refresh" to re-access the data from the Firewall and re-display the data on this panel.