# Wireshark Setup and Use <a href="https://www.wireshark.org"><img src="images/wireshark_logo.png" align="right"/></a>

> Wireshark is the world’s foremost and widely-used network protocol analyzer. 
> It lets you see what’s happening on your network at a microscopic level and 
> is the de facto (and often de jure) standard across many commercial and non-profit enterprises, 
> government agencies, and educational institutions. 
> Wireshark development thrives thanks to the volunteer contributions of networking experts 
> around the globe and is the continuation of a project started by Gerald Combs in 1998.

[Wireshark](https://www.wireshark.org) is an excellent open-source tool with wide use.
Capabilities include inspection of <code>dis</code> packets.

[Capturing DIS Packets](Capturing_DIS_Packets.pdf) by Tobias Brennenstuhl is his
[thesis annex](https://calhoun.nps.edu/handle/10945/65436)
specifically written to help support student efforts.

## Installation and Configuration

IMPORTANT: if you have already installed Wireshark, check your version!  
Always use the latest so that operating-system security and feature sets are up to date.

1. Download Wireshark from https://www.wireshark.org
2. Install as local administrator if possible
3. Launch and see if network packets are being detected.

| Successful installation, monitoring | Failed installation, no monitoring |
| ------ | ------ |
| <a href="images/WiresharkNetworkInterfaces.png"><img src="images/WiresharkNetworkInterfaces.png" width="400" align="center"/></a> | <a href="images/WiresharkNoNetworkTraffic.png"><img src="images/WiresharkNoNetworkTraffic.png" width="400" align="center"/></a> |

4.  Check your network interfaces via console commands [ipconfig](ipconfig.txt)
5.  Double-check network interfaces using [ipconfig /all](ipconfigAll.txt) to see any hidden interfaces

## Capturing Packets

1. Confirm preferences: File &gt; Preferences &gt; Capture as shown

<a href="images/WiresharkCapturePreferences.png"><img src="images/WiresharkCapturePreferences.png" width="400" align="center"/>

2. Set filter to dis
3. Lauch one of the example programs to send packets, then observe results.

<a href="images/WiresharkUdpDisPduCapture.png"><img src="images/WiresharkUdpDisPduCapture.png" width="400" align="center"/>

## Troubleshooting

1. Check your [firewall settings](Firewall_Configuration.pdf).  (Again thanks to Tobias for another helpful reference.)
2. Compare Wireshark results with/without your [Virtual Private Network (VPN)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_private_network) active. 
3. Compare Wireshark results when logged in as local administrator, if possible.
4. Consult resources in the References section below.
5. [StackOverflow](https://stackoverflow.com/search?q=wireshark) is an excellent resource for detailed technical questions, looking up error messages, etc.

## References

1. [Wireshark home](https://www.wireshark.org) and [Learning Wireshark](https://www.wireshark.org/#learnWS)
2. [Back to Basics](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y13zH-8OPE8&t=9s) video by Hansang Bae.  "Read.... READ I SAY!!!!"
3. [Wireshark User’s Guide](https://www.wireshark.org/docs/wsug_html_chunked)
4. [Wireshark Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)](https://www.wireshark.org/faq.html) and [Ask Wireshark](https://ask.wireshark.org/questions)
5. [NPS Remote Access and Wireless Services](https://nps.edu/web/technology/remote-access)
6. Tobias Brennenstuhl, [REPEATABLE UNIT TESTING OF DISTRIBUTED INTERACTIVE SIMULATION (DIS) PROTOCOL BEHAVIOR STREAMS USING WEB STANDARDS](https://calhoun.nps.edu/handle/10945/65436), MOVES Masters Thesis, Naval Postgraduate School (NPS), Monterey California USA, June 2020.