Ethereal-dev: Re: [Ethereal-dev] SDL/HSD RS-232/V.35/etc Capture and Complete 7 Layer OSI for

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From: Richard Sharpe <sharpe@xxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Sat, 17 Nov 2001 16:59:39 +1030
Nilo Rivera wrote:

Hi all

I just started using Ethereal and Im amazed with this product.  It is
comparable and in some ways better than the 4 different analyzers that I have.


It is great to hear you say so ...

Im interested in joining ethereal's developement effort! First: Is there a way to capture from the COM/Serial port in a PC? If not, has it been discussed? My point is that most telecommunication WANs use RS-232/RS-449/V.35/etc using HDLC (lapb, etc) protocol. This way all could be done from a laptop, a Y cable and the proper converter if necessary. (Im not sure of speed limits / limitations of the com port and if this makes scence). Even further, would Ethereal work with the proper pcmcia/usb/... device like: http://www.sealevel.com/catalog/pcmciab.htm


I have thought a lot about this for some time. The problem is that most serial devices do not allow you to capture the state of all the data set signals, and do not give you recieve access on both TxD and RxD (as received signals).



What you really need is an interface that can sense the state of all the signals in an V24 or V35 or X.21/G703 or what have you.

A second limitation is that the capture file formats don't allow you to express the state of data set signals on a per-byte basis, although that might not be too much of a problem if you can provide frames.

However, it would be a very interesting project.


Second: I see x.25 and ISO 8073 COTP (CCITT/ITU x.224) implemented. Has there been any plans to fully implement the complete OSI stack (ISO 7498 or ITU x.200). Is not widely used, but is used...specially for FTAM transfers. Im interested in adding this with time if no one is working on it already, or help out. What do you think? Is it worth the effort? The protocols that would need to be added are:

  ISO 8327 Session Protocol ( CCITT / ITU x.225 )
  ISO 8823 Presentation Protocol ( CCITT / ITU x.226 )
  ISO 8650 ACSE( CCITT / ITU x.227 )
  Maybe a subset of FTAM after these



--
Richard Sharpe, rsharpe@xxxxxxxxxx, LPIC-1
www.samba.org, www.ethereal.com, SAMS Teach Yourself Samba
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