Wireshark-dev: Re: [Wireshark-dev] tshark output format
From: Jeff Morriss <jeff.morriss@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Sun, 28 Jan 2007 20:47:36 +0800


Sebastien Tandel wrote:
Hi,

I am developing an analysis of the events occurring in ISIS. This analysis should be an help to network operators to detect problems in their network. Of course, to do this we have to present the results of the analysis in a friendly fashion (many different graphs :)). Furthermore being able to access this information from anywhere and in real-time is really important for them. From anywhere, today, means being accessible from a web page. I was then wondering whether you'll accept a patch which performs an analysis by tshark outputting some text (hardly human readable) which could be easily inserted in a RRD by an external script (which could also be distributed by wireshark)?
I think a better way to integrate this with Wireshark would be to add the graphing capabilities to Wireshark itself. There could be an option to save these graphs once viewed. Do you see a problem with doing it this way?

I also would prefer to have something completely integrated to wireshark
but I've identified two problems ...

Currently you have to spend too much time (in terms of code to write) to
be able to output one graph in wireshark. On the other hand, I've also
seen that there is a point on the wishlist to implement a graph API with
a pointer to a library which seems not maintained anymore (libplot, last
release on July 2000). I've found gtkdatabox which can be very helpful
but only for GTK2 (last versions) I therefore have another question : Is
it possible to integrate new graph features (and analysis modules) in
wireshark without being compatible GTK1.2? Or do you have some others
propositions/pointers?

(Even) as one of those still "stuck" on GTK1.2 [on some platforms], I don't see it as reasonable to force the world to only develop new features compatible with GTK1.2. As long as Wireshark still compiles and runs on GTK1.2 (with all the GTK2-specific stuff #ifdef'd out), I'm happy.