Ethereal-users: Re: [Ethereal-users] Product performs differently than documentation.

Note: This archive is from the project's previous web site, ethereal.com. This list is no longer active.

From: Richard Urwin <richard@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Sat, 10 Jan 2004 12:02:23 +0000
On Friday 09 Jan 2004 8:06 pm, De Grasse, Christopherx G wrote:
> Hello,
>
> I'm not sure if this is the correct address to send to for assistance
> with Ethereal. If not please let me know. I am a newbie with your
> product and am seeing some discrepancies between the documentation
> listed at:
> http://www.ethereal.com/docs/user-guide/x2015.html#CH03SAVEAS

The documentation lags behind, and the capture dialog has been updated 
recently.

As a first attempt you don't need to set anything on the dialog, it's all set 
to sensible defaults. Just hit OK.

Saving the capture is done from the File menu, once you are viewing the 
captured packets.

> The capture file window I'm pulling up looks different (see attachment)
> and is not referencing libpcap files but only MIB files.

The startup directory tends to default to that in Windows.

*On Monday 10 Nov 2003 6:41 pm, Ian Schorr wrote:
*> Starting with 0.9.16, Ethereal will "remember" the last directory that a
*> file was opened in and use that to set its "File Open" dialog path.
*> This is default behavior, and the "change shortcut" method will not work
*> after the first file has been opened.
*>
*> In 0.9.16 you set the default directory in Edit->Preferences->User
*> Interface:  Select the "Always start in directory" button and type the
*> path in the box below.

There are no capture files installed with ethereal, so there is no capture 
files directory to start in, until you have created one. There are sample 
captures on the website if you want some.

> Additionally, I 
> am unable to create directories. I either get an error stating that "The
> path to the [file path] does not exist" (This is after I have created it
> and it is viewable in windows), or I am usually told I don't have
> permission to create the directory if I try typing in the path manually
> (I am logged in as Admin).

I don't know why that would be. Ethereal does not pay special attention to "My 
Documents" or "Desktop" like native Windows applications. They are there but 
you have to drill down from C:\ to find them.

>
> I just need to be able to create a path to save to, and make sure that
> the files being saved are packet captures (libpcap) files. I have
> downloaded the newest non-beta version (ver. 3) of WinPcap and the ver.
> of Ethereal that's currently posted on your web site, and ran a plain
> vanilla install on Win XP Media Center.

Try saving to c:\ first. Then try a folder without any spaces in it. eg 
c:\temp If those work, the "correct" folder under Windows XP is probably 
c:\Applications and Settings\Administrator\My Documents\... (if I have that 
right, I'm on Linux here so I'm trying to remember the path.) I would be 
tempted to use c:\captures because it is easier to find and type than the 
Windows standard path.

If you still have problems, get back to this list with examples of paths that 
don't work and someone will be able to sort out the problem.

HTH
-- 
Richard Urwin