---
name: "shorewall-rtrules"
section: "5"
platform: "linux"
package: "shorewall"
version: "5.2.8-6"
release: "Debian 13 (Trixie)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/shorewall-rtrules"
---

# shorewall-rtrules(5)

Shorewall Routing Rules file

## NAME

rtrules - Shorewall Routing Rules file

## SYNOPSIS

**/etc/shorewall\[6\]/rtrules**

## DESCRIPTION

Entries in this file cause traffic to be routed to one of the providers listed in **shorewall-providers**\[1\](5).

The columns in the file are as follows.

**SOURCE** (Optional) - {**-**\|\[&\]*interface*\|*address*\|*interface*:*address*}

An ip *address* (network or host) that matches the source IP address in a packet. May also be specified as an *interface* name optionally followed by ":" and an address. If the device **lo** is specified, the packet must originate from the firewall itself.

Beginning with Shorewall 4.5.0, you may specify &*interface* in this column to indicate that the source is the primary IP address of the named interface.

Beginning with Shorewall 4.6.8, you may specify a comma-separated list of addresses in this column.

**DEST** (Optional) - {**-**\|*address*}

An ip address (network or host) that matches the destination IP address in a packet.

If you choose to omit either **SOURCE** or **DEST**, place "-" in that column. Note that you may not omit both **SOURCE** and **DEST**.

Beginning with Shorewall 4.6.8, you may specify a comma-separated list of addresses in this column.

**PROVIDER** - {*provider-name*\|*provider-number*\|**main**}

The provider to route the traffic through. May be expressed either as the provider name or the provider number. May also be **main** or 254 for the main routing table. This can be used in combination with VPN tunnels, see example 2 below.

**PRIORITY** - *priority***\[!\]**

The rule's numeric *priority* which determines the order in which the rules are processed. Rules with equal priority are applied in the order in which they appear in the file.

1000-1999

Before Shorewall-generated 'MARK' rules

11000-11999

After 'MARK' rules but before Shorewall-generated rules for ISP interfaces.

26000-26999

After ISP interface rules but before 'default' rule.

Beginning with Shorewall 5.0.2, the priority may be followed optionally by an exclaimation mark ("!"). This causes the rule to remain in place if the interface is disabled.

**Caution**\
 Be careful when using rules of the same PRIORITY as some unexpected behavior can occur when multiple rules have the same SOURCE. For example, in the following rules, the second rule overwrites the first unless the priority in the second is changed to 19001 or higher:

```
10.10.0.0/24    192.168.5.6 provider1 19000
10.10.0.0/24    -           provider2 19000
```

**MARK - {-\|***mark***\[/***mask***\]}**

Optional -- added in Shorewall 4.4.25. For this rule to be applied to a packet, the packet's mark value must match the *mark* when logically anded with the *mask*. If a *mask* is not supplied, Shorewall supplies a suitable provider mask.

## EXAMPLES

Example 1:

You want all traffic coming in on eth1 to be routed to the ISP1 provider.

```
        #SOURCE                 DEST            PROVIDER        PRIORITY      MASK
        eth1                    -               ISP1            1000
```

IPv4 Example 2:

You use OpenVPN (routed setup /tunX) in combination with multiple providers. In this case you have to set up a rule to ensure that the OpenVPN traffic is routed back through the tunX interface(s) rather than through any of the providers. 10.8.0.0/24 is the subnet chosen in your OpenVPN configuration (server 10.8.0.0 255.255.255.0).

```
         #SOURCE                 DEST            PROVIDER        PRIORITY     MASK
         -                       10.8.0.0/24     main            1000
```

## FILES

/etc/shorewall/rtrules

/etc/shorewall6/rtrules

## SEE ALSO

**https://shorewall.org/MultiISP.html**\[2\]

**https://shorewall.org/configuration\_file\_basics.htm#Pairs**\[3\]

[shorewall(8)](/shorewall/8.md)

## NOTES

- 1\.

  shorewall-providers

  https://shorewall.org/manpages/shorewall-providers.html

- 2\.

  https://shorewall.org/MultiISP.html

  https://shorewall.org/MultiISP.html

- 3\.

  https://shorewall.org/configuration\_file\_basics.htm#Pairs

  https://shorewall.org/configuration\_file\_basics.htm#Pairs