Another view of question "What is the goal?".
A tool (and description language) to create dissector during
compile-time or to have a description language and use it in runtime?
I'm thinking about NetPDL
(http://analyzer.polito.it/30alpha/NetPDL/index.htm) using.
I.e. creation of packet-netpdl dissector which would use NetPDL engine.
The goal is not to be able to support all Ethereal features or to
dissect whichever protocol.
The gould would be to offer possibility of creating "simple" dissector
without Ethereal recompiling (i.e. without development environment and
dissector programming knowledge).
Tom
John McDermott wrote:
>
> So what is the goal? A tool to create a good dissector for any protocol
> or a tool to create a reasonable (a bit better than "quick and dirty")
> dissector for lots of possible protocols. I think the latter. IMHO, the
> primary use of the tool would be more to implement dissectors for local
> or seldom-used protocols than to use it to try to build a new, say, H.323
> dissector.
>
> --john
>
> Ed Warnicke wrote:
> >
> > On Wed, 20 Aug 2003, Andreas Sikkema wrote:
> >
> >
> >>Ed Warnicke wrote:
> >>
> >>
> >>>Most of these shouldn't be that hard to handle as generalized
> >>>cases... but everytime I find myself saying that I think of
> >>>DNS and DNS compression... there will always be oddballs...
> >>
> >>But those are not the kind f protocols the general ethereal user will
> >>want to (quickly) add for themselves. And if they do I presume they
> >>have the knowledge to add something to E
> >
> >
> > That was roughly the point I was trying to make ( unfortunately
> > not very clearly :). Solving the general case is hard. Solving
> > a handleful of special cases that solve 90% of the problems is
> > not so hard.
> >
> > Ed
> >
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> >
> >
>
> --
> John McDermott
> Writer, Educator, Consultant
> jjm@xxxxxxxxxx http://www.jkintl.com
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