stop/start iptables vs. "iptables-restore"

[Alex Tang <altitude@funkware.com>]

Hi folks,

We run a linux based product (RHEL4 based, kernel-2.6.9-55, and 
iptables-1.2.11). During the running of the product, when we make 
changes to the iptables configuration, we use the SysV-like RHEL script 
"/etc/init.d/iptables restart", which effectively stops iptables, 
unloads all of the iptables based kernel modules, then starts iptables 
and all the kernel stuff. 

A colleague recently asked why we're not using "iptables-restore" 
instead of the script which does "stop/start".  I'm looking to see if 
you know of any reasons why we should or should not use iptables-restore 
vs. "stop/start".  Does it matter if the number of connections on the 
system is high?  Our product can sometimes handle many millions of 
connections per day.

Thanks.

...alex...