How To Use Etc Hosts Allow

If a daemon client pair matches the first line in the file access is granted.

How to use etc hosts allow. To start create a rule allowing any computer to all services. Examples include popa3d imapd and sshd. You can have only one rule per service in hosts allow and hosts deny file. To allow client access add the client host name or ip address in etc hosts allow. Most of the rules and settings are used in the following form.

Etc hosts allow and etc hosts deny. The syntax of etc hosts allow is actually quite simple and easy to understand unlike say sendmail cf or the scattered nature of qmail. In the file you can specify simple rules in plain text to tell your computer how to handle connections. Lines in these files use the following syntax. To control hosts that are allowed or denied access to communicate with deamons on a linux server you will modify the etc hosts allow and etc hosts deny files on the server.

If not found then go to 2 etc hosts deny. The etc hosts allow file lets you choose which computers can access your system. The etc hosts allow and etc hosts deny files are commonly used with ssh and tcp wrappers. If not found allow access. Etc hosts allow if allow will not check 2.

Any changes to hosts allow and hosts deny file takes immediate effect. The etc hosts allow file is read first and is read from top to bottom.