How to load the IPFW rules

1. Copy your ipfw.rules inside /etc/

    $ cp ipfw.rules /etc/
   

   Note: Be sure the rules don’t have \r\n lines (CRLN windows lines), but only \n lines (Unix LN lines), otherwise you get locked out!

2. Open /etc/rc.conf:

    $ ee /etc/rc.conf
   

3. Edit/Add these options:

    # IPFW
    firewall_enable="YES"
    firewall_type="open"
    firewall_script="/etc/ipfw.rules"
    firewall_logging="YES"
   

   Note: For testing, set the firewall_enable to “NO”

4. Start the ipfw service:

    $ service ipfw start
   

   Note: if firewall_enable is set to “NO”, you should use onestart|onestop|onerestart instead of start|stop|restart

If you’re afraid of getting locked out, you can try this way:

1. Use the firewall_enable="NO" option inside /etc/rc.conf
2. Start the service with the command service ipfw onestart && sleep 60 && service ipfw onestop & (ipfw will be stopped after 60 seconds)