Better Packet Sniffing in Windows
Posted on September 12, 2006, under Development.
It’s a high speed Internet these days and more services are geared toward consumers with broadband connections. Power users like to know how their broadband connections are performing, and why not? We pay top dollar for a fast connection to the Internet, and it’s good to know if you are getting what you paid for. In addition, we also like to know if there is any rouge software on our computer that is sending information without our knowledge. This is where packet sniffing technologies come into play.
When I was in college I developed NetGrid, a simple application that monitors your bandwidth connection speed. The application took off, and I had to start charging for the application in order to make back money I was spending on hosting and support issues. In all honestly the application has sat on the shelf over the last few years, but it still works and works well.
Most recently I have been looking into packet sniffing SDK’s and libraries, and came across a little gem from microOLAP called simply enough, Packet Sniffer SDK. Over the last several months I have tried several Packet Sniffing technologies, including the well known WinpCap. So how does microOLAP’s Packet Sniffing SDK match up? Well lets take a look.
It’s Dynamic
Packet Sniffer SDK contains an internal packet capture driver, which is dynamically loaded and unloaded by your application. This means that no pre-installed packet capture drivers are required. This is nice for developers because you can control your install base. With some other packet capturing libraries that hold their own install base, there is no telling of another application will reinstall, uninstall, or update the library which could potentially break your application opening you up to support issues.
1.21 Gigawatts!
Well not exactly, but the Packet Sniffer SDK does support Gigabit networks. Now most consumers do not have Gigabit networks at home, however a lot of commercial consumers will. Gigabit is becoming more popular, so the support is very nice.
Loopback Support
This is a big one, that you do not see in most packet capturing libraries. Loopback support is where the Packet Sniffer SDK will be able to capture local packets. Why does this matter? Well a lot of developers and IT users setup local web servers or networks on their machines to test or develop applications. The ability to capture these packets is vital information that advanced users will benefit from and appreciate.
Winpcap Migration Support
If you have an application that is currently using Winpcap simply enough, the Packet Sniffer SDK makes the migration easy!
BPF and FastBPF Support
Packet Sniffer SDK supports packet filtering by BPF and FastBPF. Another advantage over other packet capturing technologies.
Send and Receive
The Packet Sniffer SDK allows you create and send packets with any structure. This is a great feature for developers who may not be using a standard protocol.
What’s Supported?
microOLAP has most flavors of Windows covered, including: Windows NT 4.0; Windows 2000; Windows XP; Windows 2003; Windows Vista; Windows 95; Windows 98; Windows ME, WinXP x64, Win2003 x64. Network adapters supported include: Ethernet (802.3), Token-Ring, FDDI, WAN (modem).
Implementation
The Packet Sniffer SDK could not have been easier to implement. They have an in depth manual that lays out the SDK in detail, as well as examples on how to take advantage of some of it’s great features. The Packet Sniffer SDK supports DLL, VCL, and static library builds. Most any developer will have no problems getting started with the SDK.
Conclusion
Overall the Packet Sniffer SDK is my favorite packet capturing library on the market. It is a great solution that can be implemented in to the most simplest to the most complex applications, and still run solid. A little background work on the company shows that they stay on top of the changing market and technologies, and implement fixes and updates into their products frequently. I recommend checking out their other products as well on their website.
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2 Replies to "Better Packet Sniffing in Windows"
air on February 9, 2007
i think the software you developed is very helpful. I constantly check my internet speed to ensure everything is right, esp for talking via Skype.
Kashiif on December 29, 2006
Hi,
I am a student and known across by PSSDK, im working on packet sniffing for my project but when i am adding headerfiles of PSSDK in VC++ V6 it gives me error DWORD_PTR not defined, how to resolve this error? can you send me any little module to understand? at fihsaklove@yahoo.co.uk