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Wireshark-bugs: [Wireshark-bugs] [Bug 6645] Patch to add support for Windows Friendly Interface

Date: Sat, 3 Dec 2011 15:12:29 -0800 (PST)
https://bugs.wireshark.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=6645

--- Comment #2 from Mike Garratt <wireshark@xxxxxxxxx> 2011-12-03 15:12:28 PST ---
"Note that this *really* belongs in WinPcap, but a workaround in Wireshark
until
WinPcap is fixed is probably OK."

I totally agree the longterm approach would be for the functionality to be
provided natively by winpcap.  I took submitting the patch to the wireshark
source as it gets the required outcome for my project (wireshark+dumpcap
showing real friendly interface names on windows) in a realistic timeframe.

In terms of putting single quotes around interface names, I agree it makes a
lot of sense to adopt the same approach for all platforms.
The changes actually started out larger in tshark, then got simplified, I
should have gone further.  Being my first code submission, I was coming from a
conservative paradigm of making this change impact Windows behaviour only as
any changes to the CLI tools on other platforms could potentially impact
scripted use.

"However, is there any reason why, if an interface as an Interface Friendly
Name, that should not just be used as the description, rather than what WinPcap
currently supplies as the description?  That would be a simpler fix, and would
probably mean that *only* capture-pcap-util.c and dumpcap.c need to be changed.
"

I can't think of any - but someone may have some use case where they want the
driver description (why would be another question).

My approach had been to adopt a path of least resistance to getting the
improved functionality in (which I think will be a huge usablity improvement) -
I had expected to do so would require minimising change to the wireshark
internals (i.e. not redefining the use of description in case it was used else
where).

I'm more than happy to slightly broaden the patch scope to make it more
integrated.  The actual number of files changed won't differ that much.  
* The tshark.c tweaks can be ignored for patch count - since now will be just
two single quotes and flushing stderr once.
* capture_opts.c will still require code changes to support specifying the
interface name by description - this can however be platform independant code
(after we make dumpcap enumerate all the interface descriptions prior to
interface lookup).

I'll submit an updated patch in the next few days.

Thanks,

- Mike

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