Linux netfilter / iptables : How to enable iptables TRACE chain handling with nf_log_syslog on RHEL8+?

["Jason Vas Dias" <jason.vas.dias@ptt.ie>]

Good day -

  On a Linux RHEL8 system, I have enabled these iptables rules,
  which I am led to believe should enable ICMP packet syslog
  logging on interface ingress & egress :

    # iptables -L -t raw
    Chain PREROUTING (policy ACCEPT)
    target     prot opt source               destination         
    TRACE      icmp --  anywhere             anywhere            

    Chain OUTPUT (policy ACCEPT)
    target     prot opt source               destination         
    TRACE      icmp --  anywhere             anywhere            

  As described at : https://access.redhat.com/solutions/2313671 I have done :

    # modprobe  nf_log_ipv4
    # sysctl -w net.netfilter.nf_log.2=nf_log_ipv4

  I also did:

    # modprobe nf_log_syslog

  which I am led to believe replaces all previous nf_log* or ipt_LOG
  modules in modern (RHEL8 4.18.x+) kernels.

  But, when I 'ping' a NAT'd (with iptables) IP address,
  no TRACE log messages appear in 'dmesg -c' output or in
  syslog (systemd.journald in use).

  What am I missing ?

  The most comprehensive discussion I have found on this issue so far on the web is at :

  https://backreference.org/2010/06/11/iptables-debugging/ (thanks waldner!)

  But this is getting rather old (2010-06-11) , and evidently does not
  apply to kernel 4.18+(RHEL) .

  I have duplicated precisely the steps above on Fedora-36
  (kernel v6.2.16) system , and it DOES work, TRACE log messages ARE generated :

  # iptables -t raw -A PREROUTING -p icmp -j TRACE
  # iptables -t raw -A OUTPUT -p icmp -j TRACE
  # modprobe nf_log_ipv4
  # echo nf_log_ipv4 > /proc/sys/net/netfilter/nf_log/2

  But, these steps, when repeated on a RHEL8 kernel 4.18.0-477.13.1
  host, do not work or produce any packet TRACE output in logs -
  this is what I am tearing what remains of my hair out trying to resolve.

  Thanks in advance for any informative replies .

Best Regards,
Jason Vas Dias (SW+SYS+NET)-Engineer, West Cork, Eire.