In this article, we will figure out how to install and use Wireshark for the Windows operating system.The latest version of Wireshark can be downloaded from its official website. This software is widely used in industries and academic institutions.Wireshark loads the Pcap driver, which uses NDIS (Network Driver Interface Specification) to read packets directly from a network interface card. It gives us expert information to understand the state of the packet using a particular protocol category like chat, note, warning, error, etc. It gives statistical results of the packets captured, as well as graphs such as the I/O graph, round-trip time graph and flow graph. Users can customise this packet sniffer based on their needs. Wireshark captures packets from network simulation tools like ns, OPNET, NeTSim, etc. Wireless tools are used to capture wireless network traffic. It uses the Pcap (packet capture library) to capture packets from different network technologies raw USB traffic and compatible encoded VoIP calls can also be captured and played. It is cross-platform and helps us understand the structure of various network protocols. It can capture packets in promiscuous mode (all the packets in a LAN), and dissect more than a thousand protocols. Wireshark is free and open source under the terms of the GNU (General Public License). Data can be read from the captured packets using a graphical user interface (GUI). It can also be used for a software defined network (SDN).Wireshark is application software that helps you to visualise the traffic on the network interface controller. This enables admins to understand the functions of various protocols, to troubleshoot live network problems, and monitor the network for intrusion detection. Wireshark is a valuable tool for network administrators and enthusiasts, which is used to capture the packets in real-time on any operating system. It is used for network troubleshooting, analysis, software and communications protocol development and education. It lets users see what is happening in the network at a microscopic level. Wireshark is the world’s foremost network protocol analyser.

Packet capture tool