How To Use Etc Hosts Allow

The etc hosts allow file lets you choose which computers can access your system.

How to use etc hosts allow. You can have only one rule per service in hosts allow and hosts deny file. Etc hosts allow if allow will not check 2. If not found allow access. If a daemon client pair matches the first line in the file access is granted. Etc hosts allow and etc hosts deny.

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. The etc hosts allow file is read first and is read from top to bottom. Lines in these files use the following syntax. Any changes to hosts allow and hosts deny file takes immediate effect. To deny client access add its name or ip address in etc hosts deny.

To allow client access add the client host name or ip address in etc hosts allow. Service the name of the dæmon or service program that rule will be written for. Examples include popa3d imapd and sshd. If not found then go to 2 etc hosts deny. The etc hosts allow and etc hosts deny files are commonly used with ssh and tcp wrappers.

In the file you can specify simple rules in plain text to tell your computer how to handle connections. Using the hosts allow file.