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Netavark should use nftables by default to create/manage the firewall rules for the Podman containers.
Netavark should use nftables by default to create/manage the firewall rules for the Podman containers.


== Owner ==


== Owner ==
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* Name: [[User:FASAcountName| Paul Holzinger]]
* Name: [[User:FASAcountName| Paul Holzinger]]
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* Email: <pholzing@redhat.com>
* Email: <pholzing@redhat.com>, <mheon@redhat.com>
* Name: Matthew Heon
* Name: Matthew Heon
* Email: <mheon@redhat.com>
* Email: <mheon@redhat.com>
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== Current status ==
== Current status ==
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[[Category:SelfContainedChange]]
[[Category:SelfContainedChange]]
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* Targeted release: [https://docs.fedoraproject.org/en-US/releases/f41/ Fedora Linux 41]
* Targeted release: [https://docs.fedoraproject.org/en-US/releases/f41/ Fedora Linux 41]
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== Detailed Description ==
== Detailed Description ==
<!-- Expand on the summary, if appropriate.  A couple sentences suffices to explain the goal, but the more details you can provide the better. -->


Netavark is used by Podman to configure networking for the containers. It manages interfaces and firewall rules. Currently it uses iptables by default to create the firewall rules for the containers but it can also be configured to use nftables (nft). The goal is to switch the default over to nftables. We also expect a small speed up for the container start-up times as nftables allows us to batch insert rules at once which makes it more performant and robust compared to iptables.
Netavark is used by Podman to configure networking for the containers. It manages interfaces and firewall rules. Currently it uses iptables by default to create the firewall rules for the containers but it can also be configured to use nftables (nft). The goal is to switch the default over to nftables. We also expect a small speed up for the container start-up times as nftables allows us to batch insert rules at once which makes it more performant and robust compared to iptables.
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== Benefit to Fedora ==
== Benefit to Fedora ==
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* netavark no longer requires iptables
* netavark no longer requires iptables
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== Scope ==
== Scope ==
* Proposal owners: Paul Holzinger, Matthew Heon
* Proposal owners: Paul Holzinger, Matthew Heon
<!-- What work do the feature owners have to accomplish to complete the feature in time for release?  Is it a large change affecting many parts of the distribution or is it a very isolated change? What are those changes?-->
** Using nftables is already supported in netavark as of version v1.10 (already included in fedora). Set a build option in the specfile to change the default driver from iptables to nftables
** Using nftables is already supported in netavark as of version v1.10 (already included in fedora). Set a build option in the specfile to change the default driver from iptables to nftables


* Other developers: <!-- REQUIRED FOR SYSTEM WIDE CHANGES -->
* Other developers: N/A
<!-- What work do other developers have to accomplish to complete the feature in time for release?  Is it a large change affecting many parts of the distribution or is it a very isolated change? What are those changes?-->


* Release engineering: [https://pagure.io/releng/issues #Releng issue number] <!-- REQUIRED FOR SYSTEM WIDE CHANGES -->
* Release engineering: N/A
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* Policies and guidelines: N/A (not needed for this Change) <!-- REQUIRED FOR SYSTEM WIDE CHANGES -->
* Policies and guidelines: N/A (not needed for this Change)
<!-- Do the packaging guidelines or other documents need to be updated for this feature?  If so, does it need to happen before or after the implementation is done?  If a FPC ticket exists, add a link here. Please submit a pull request with the proposed changes before submitting your Change proposal. -->


* Trademark approval: N/A (not needed for this Change)
* Trademark approval: N/A (not needed for this Change)
<!-- If your Change may require trademark approval (for example, if it is a new Spin), file a ticket ( https://pagure.io/Fedora-Council/tickets/issues ) requesting trademark approval from the Fedora Council. This approval will be done via the Council's consensus-based process. -->


* Alignment with the Fedora Strategy:  
* Alignment with the Fedora Strategy:  
<!-- Does your proposal align with the current Fedora Strategy: https://discussion.fedoraproject.org/t/fedora-strategy-2028-february-march-planning-work-and-roadmap-til-flock/43618 ? It's okay if it doesn't, but it's something to consider -->


== Upgrade/compatibility impact ==
== Upgrade/compatibility impact ==
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== Early Testing (Optional) ==
== Early Testing (Optional) ==
<!-- This is an optional step for system-wide changes to avail of. If you would like to build an initial proof of concept of your change and have a member of Fedora QA help you write and/or run some initial basic tests on your code, please email tests@fedoraproject.org and include the link to your change proposal. This step is *optional*. -->


Do you require 'QA Blueprint' support? Y/N <!-- Optional Step for System-Wide Changes only -->
Do you require 'QA Blueprint' support? N


== How To Test ==
== How To Test ==
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The change can be tested by setting the firewall driver to nftables in containers.conf:
The change can be tested by setting the firewall driver to nftables in containers.conf:
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  $ sudo nft list table inet netavark
  $ sudo nft list table inet netavark
<!-- REQUIRED FOR SYSTEM WIDE CHANGES -->


== User Experience ==
== User Experience ==
<!-- If this change proposal is noticeable by users, how will their experiences change as a result?
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  - Kerberos tickets can be renewed automatically. Users will now have to authenticate less and become more productive. Credential management improvements mean a user can start their work day with a single sign on and not have to pause for reauthentication during their entire day.
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There should no change in behavior for end users unless they manually messed with the netavark firewall rules.
There should no change in behavior for end users unless they manually messed with the netavark firewall rules.


== Dependencies ==
== Dependencies ==
<!-- What other packages (RPMs) depend on this package?  Are there changes outside the developers' control on which completion of this change depends?  In other words, completion of another change owned by someone else and might cause you to not be able to finish on time or that you would need to coordinate?  Other upstream projects like the kernel (if this is not a kernel change)? -->


<!-- REQUIRED FOR SYSTEM WIDE CHANGES -->
N/A
N/A


== Contingency Plan ==
== Contingency Plan ==


<!-- If you cannot complete your feature by the final development freeze, what is the backup plan?  This might be as simple as "Revert the shipped configuration".  Or it might not (e.g. rebuilding a number of dependent packages).  If you feature is not completed in time we want to assure others that other parts of Fedora will not be in jeopardy.  -->
* Contingency mechanism: Keep using iptables as default.
* Contingency mechanism: Keep using iptables as default.
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* Contingency deadline: beta freeze
* Contingency deadline: beta freeze
<!-- Does finishing this feature block the release, or can we ship with the feature in incomplete state? -->
* Blocks release? N/A
* Blocks release? N/A


== Documentation ==
== Documentation ==
<!-- Is there upstream documentation on this change, or notes you have written yourself?  Link to that material here so other interested developers can get involved. -->


<!-- REQUIRED FOR SYSTEM WIDE CHANGES -->
N/A (not a System Wide Change)  
N/A (not a System Wide Change)  



Revision as of 09:56, 10 July 2024

Netavark Nftables Default

This is a proposed Change for Fedora Linux.
This document represents a proposed Change. As part of the Changes process, proposals are publicly announced in order to receive community feedback. This proposal will only be implemented if approved by the Fedora Engineering Steering Committee.

Summary

Netavark should use nftables by default to create/manage the firewall rules for the Podman containers.

Owner

  • Name: Paul Holzinger
  • Email: <pholzing@redhat.com>
  • Name: Matthew Heon
  • Email: <mheon@redhat.com>

Current status

  • Targeted release: Fedora Linux 41
  • Last updated: 2024-07-10
  • [Announced]
  • [<will be assigned by the Wrangler> Discussion thread]
  • FESCo issue: <will be assigned by the Wrangler>
  • Tracker bug: <will be assigned by the Wrangler>
  • Release notes tracker: <will be assigned by the Wrangler>

Detailed Description

Netavark is used by Podman to configure networking for the containers. It manages interfaces and firewall rules. Currently it uses iptables by default to create the firewall rules for the containers but it can also be configured to use nftables (nft). The goal is to switch the default over to nftables. We also expect a small speed up for the container start-up times as nftables allows us to batch insert rules at once which makes it more performant and robust compared to iptables.

Feedback

Benefit to Fedora

  • netavark no longer requires iptables
  • all rules are now part of the netavark table so there are less conflicts with other tools/users who manage firewall rules
  • slightly faster container start-up time


Scope

  • Proposal owners: Paul Holzinger, Matthew Heon
    • Using nftables is already supported in netavark as of version v1.10 (already included in fedora). Set a build option in the specfile to change the default driver from iptables to nftables
  • Other developers: N/A
  • Release engineering: N/A
  • Policies and guidelines: N/A (not needed for this Change)
  • Trademark approval: N/A (not needed for this Change)
  • Alignment with the Fedora Strategy:

Upgrade/compatibility impact

Early Testing (Optional)

Do you require 'QA Blueprint' support? N

How To Test

The change can be tested by setting the firewall driver to nftables in containers.conf:

$ sudo mkdir -p /etc/containers/containers.conf.d
$ echo $'[network]\nfirewall_driver="nftables"' | sudo tee /etc/containers/containers.conf.d/50-netavark-nftables.conf

Changing the firewall driver while you have running containers will likely cause some conflicting rules so it is best to reboot when this option is changed.

Now start the containers and make sure the network works as usual. The rules can be checked with

$ sudo nft list table inet netavark

User Experience

There should no change in behavior for end users unless they manually messed with the netavark firewall rules.

Dependencies

N/A

Contingency Plan

  • Contingency mechanism: Keep using iptables as default.
  • Contingency deadline: beta freeze
  • Blocks release? N/A

Documentation

N/A (not a System Wide Change)

Release Notes