[Guy Harris <guy@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Nov 3, 2003, at 4:47 AM, Giorgio Mulas wrote:

> Then I apply the filter ftp-data and save the packets. I think the 
> packets are now in ASCII.

If you used the "Save As..." menu item, they're not in ASCII, they're 
in some packet capture file format, probably libpcap format.  That 
format contains link-layer headers, and headers above it, such as IP 
and TCP headers.

It also contains TCP packets in the reverse direction, such as the 
initial and final 3-way handshake, as well as ACKs.

You *might* be able to get just the data if you select one of the 
ftp-data packes, use the "Follow TCP Stream" menu item from the "Tools" 
menu, and use the "Save As" button in the "Contents of TCP stream" 
window.