How to Interpret Wireshark Capture

When working with network troubleshooting, understanding how to interpret Wireshark captures is crucial. This article will guide you through the process of customizing your Wireshark display to make it more readable and easier to identify traffic.

One of the first changes you should apply to Wireshark after installation is customizing the columns. To do this, go to Edit > Preferences and expand the Columns item. Here, you can add new columns by clicking the Add button at the bottom. Select the field types as either resolved or unresolved for both Src port and Dest port types.

By default, Wireshark does not list network ports in its columns, unlike Network Monitor. This can make it challenging to identify traffic quickly. To resolve this issue, you need to customize your display behavior.

Another issue with using Wireshark out-of-the-box is that it incorrectly marks a lot of traffic as having bad checksums. This can be frustrating when trying to analyze network traffic.

To address these issues, you should start by customizing the display. Double-click the Title fields to rename the columns and create two new columns for Src port and Dest port types. You can select either the resolved or unresolved selections for both fields.

Once you have customized your display, you can use Wireshark to troubleshoot issues in Lync Server or better understand specific network behavior. With a few basic tweaks, you can dive right into analyzing network traffic.

In conclusion, understanding how to interpret Wireshark captures is essential when working with network troubleshooting. By customizing the columns and display behavior, you can make Wireshark more readable and easier to use.

How to interpret wireshark capture