Re: [ANNOUNCE] iptables 1.8.9 release

[Phil Sutter <phil@netfilter.org>]

Hi!

On Sun, Jan 15, 2023 at 08:13:42AM +0100, Pablo Neira Ayuso wrote:
> On Sat, Jan 14, 2023 at 10:18:56PM +0100, Arturo Borrero Gonzalez wrote:
> > On 1/12/23 12:20, Phil Sutter wrote:
> > > Hi!
> > > 
> > > The Netfilter project proudly presents:
> > > 
> > >          iptables 1.8.9
> > > 
> > 
> > Hi Phil,
> > 
> > thanks for the release!
> > 
> > I see the tarball includes now a etc/xtables.conf file [0]. Could you please clarify the expected usage of this file?
> > 
> > Do we intend users to have this in their systems? If so, what for.
> > It appears to be in nftables native format, so who or what mechanisms would be responsible for reading it in a system that
> > has no nftables installed?
> > 
> > Perhaps the file is only useful for development purposes?
> 
> I think this file just slipped through while enabling `make distcheck'
> in a recent update, but let's wait for Phil to confirm this.

Oh, I wasn't aware this file wasn't installed prior to my patches
enabling 'make dist'. This explains why Jan came up with a patch to
prevent installation. %)

So yes, this config is a leftover from an early approach of supporting a
configurable iptables-nft chain layout which never gained traction. One
should just ignore it, sorry for the mess this causes.

Cheers, Phil