🟠 High   ⏱ 5–30 min  Last verified: 19 May 2026
Affected versions: RHEL 10.0 RHEL 10.1

📖 ~1 min read

Table of contents
  1. Symptom & Impact
  2. Environment & Reproduction
  3. Root Cause Analysis
  4. Quick Triage
  5. Step-by-Step Diagnosis
  6. Solution – Primary Fix
  7. Solution – Alternative Approaches
  8. Verification & Acceptance Criteria
  9. Rollback Plan
  10. Prevention & Hardening
  11. Related Errors & Cross-Refs
  12. References & Further Reading

Symptom & Impact

Traffic behavior is inconsistent because packet filtering is managed by two competing control planes.

Environment & Reproduction

Teams add nft rules manually while firewalld manages zones and services.

sudo nft list ruleset

Root Cause Analysis

Direct nft table changes bypass firewalld expectations and produce unpredictable policy ordering.

Quick Triage

Identify non-firewalld chains and recently changed direct rule files.

sudo journalctl -u firewalld --since -4h

Step-by-Step Diagnosis

Compare firewalld runtime state with nftables effective chain priorities.

sudo firewall-cmd --runtime-to-permanent --check-config
Illustrative mockup for rhel-10 — nft_ruleset_show
Active nftables ruleset dump — Illustrative mockup — Progressive Robot

Solution – Primary Fix

Consolidate policy under firewalld and remove ad hoc nft direct rules.

Still having issues? Our IT Solutions & Services team can diagnose and resolve this for you. Get in touch for a free consultation.

sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --direct --remove-rules ipv4 filter INPUT && sudo firewall-cmd --reload
Illustrative mockup for rhel-10 — firewalld_reload_clean
Reloading clean firewalld state — Illustrative mockup — Progressive Robot

Solution – Alternative Approaches

If raw nftables is required, disable firewalld and manage all tables declaratively.

Verification & Acceptance Criteria

Ruleset and firewalld outputs are consistent and packet flow matches approved design.

Rollback Plan

Restore previously exported ruleset and re-enable prior firewalld direct entries.

Prevention & Hardening

Set a single firewall ownership model and enforce with configuration management audits.

Related: duplicate NAT rules, dropped return traffic, and asymmetric routing symptoms.

Related tutorial: View the step-by-step tutorial for rhel-10.

View all rhel-10 tutorials on the Tutorials Hub →

Browse all common problems & solutions on the Tutorials Hub.

References & Further Reading

RHEL firewalld and nftables integration guidance.

Need Expert Help?

If you cannot resolve this yourself, our team offers hands-on Server Management, Managed IT Services, and flexible Support Plans. Contact us today — we respond within one business day.