If I look at the iptables command on a EL7 environment: bash-4.1# uname -rvosLinux 3.10.0-327.18.2.el7.x86_64 #1 SMP Thu May 12 11:03:55 UTC 2016 GNU/LinuxThe symlinks end up in a iptables-multi-1.4.7 process in sbin directory. bash-4.1# namei /sbin/iptablesf: /sbin/iptables d / d sbin l iptables -> /etc/alternatives/iptables.x86_64   d /   d etc   d alternatives   l iptables.x86_64 -> /sbin/iptables-1.4.7     d /     d sbin     l iptables-1.4.7 -> iptables-multi       l iptables-multi -> /etc/alternatives/sbin-iptables-multi.x86_64         d /         d etc         d alternatives         l sbin-iptables-multi.x86_64 -> /sbin/iptables-multi-1.4.7           d /           d sbin           - iptables-multi-1.4.7If I run iptables-multi-1.4.7 with the same parameters as iptables, it gives me an unknown subcommand error. bash-4.1# iptables --list INPUT 1KUBE-FIREWALL  all  --  anywhere             anywherebash-4.1# iptables-multi-1.4.7 --list INPUT 1iptables multi-purpose version: unknown subcommand --listEven though they are the same binary (symlinked to each other) same command line parameters generate different output. What is the right way of invoking iptables-multi-1.4.7 ? 
How to run iptables-multi? The destination of the iptables sym-link in EL7.
iptables
bash-4.1# iptables-multi-1.4.7 main --list INPUT 1KUBE-FIREWALL  all  --  anywhere             anywhereAfter stumbling over the source code  of the iptables-multi I see that it tries to parse the first and the second entries in argv. Passing main as the subcommand falls back to the iptables. 