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Wireshark-users: Re: [Wireshark-users] Question on Decoding packet with insertedproprietary heade

From: "Small, James" <JSmall@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Tue, 13 Mar 2007 15:26:35 -0400
> > I am dealing with packets that are modified by a vendor device.  The
> > packets are standard Ethernet frames with IP.  Once the
frames/packets
> > traverse the Vendor device, a new proprietary header is inserted
> > between the Ethernet header and the IP header.
> >
> > So, in a standard IP/Ethernet packet, my IP offset is 0x08. In the
> > modified IP/Ethernet packet, my IP offset is 0x30.
> >
> > The modified IP/Ethernet packet looks like this:
> > Ethernet Header
> > Proprietary Header - 34 bytes
> > IP Header and the rest of the packet
> >
> > Using Wireshark, is there a way to start the IP decode at a/the
> > specified offset?
> 
> There is no way to do this right now in Wireshark.  A dissector would
> need to be built that is able to be called from the Ethernet dissector
> and can call the IP dissector afterwards.  Do you know the format of
the
> proprietary header?
> 

Bummer - so you'd have to be a coder, eh?  Unfortunately my coding
skills are insufficient - I barely remember how to spell pointer...  :-)

I have no idea what the Vendor inserted header is.  I suspect there
might be two 48bit MAC addresses in there, but other than that I don't
know.  The header just shows up as an Ethertype and then I can see the
45 00 that designates where the IP header starts.

Since this capability is not currently present for non-coders, I just
took a stab at using bittwiste to "cut" out that part of the packet.
Then I can select the "data" after the Ethernet header and decode it as
IP.  It works fairly well, but it turns out that the vendor frame/packet
modifications are more extensive than I thought...

Anyway, could be a useful Wireshark feature - if you agree let me know
and I'll put it on the wish list.

Thanks,
  --Jim