Ethereal-users: Re: [Ethereal-users] Interfaces ??

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From: Guy Harris <gharris@xxxxxxxxx>
Date: Tue, 3 Jul 2001 12:24:22 -0700
On Tue, Jul 03, 2001 at 03:00:02PM +0200, emu@xxxxxxxxxxxxx wrote:
> When I choose with interface I want to use to sniff packets, I have 4
> interfaces to choose from.
> Why ??
> I only have one interface in my pc.

On Windows?  If so, then, whilst you may have only one *physical*
interface, for some reason, Windows may have added some "virtual"
interfaces, e.g. one for dial-up networking (perhaps even if you aren't
using, and have never used, and have never configured, dial-up
networking; as I remember, my W2K machine at work lists an NdisWan
interface even though I don't think I installed dial-up networking and
certainly didn't configure it - it's not even plugged into a modem).

I don't know whether, either on Windows OT {95, 98, ME} or Windows NT
{NT 3.x, NT 4.0, W2K a/k/a NT 5.0, WXP a/k/a NT 5.1}, there's any
equivalent to the "UP" flag on most if not all UNIX systems - or, if
there is, whether it's set on those various "virtual" or "dummy"
interfaces even if they're not in use - so I don't know if there's a way
to have Ethereal (or WinDump, for that matter) eliminate
present-but-inactive interfaces from the lists they show.