nmap / nmap/npcap

Add tcpdump to Npcap installer

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#73 10 comments 4 reactions 0 assignees View on GitHub

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enhancement
Dominant language
C
Stars
3.6k
Forks
592
PR merge metrics
No merged PRs in 30d

Description

The main Windows tcpdump port is currently windump.exe by the WinPcap folks. But like winpcap, it hasn't been updated in years and isn't really maintained. It also doesn't work with our Npcap because it relies on a too-old libpcap. But the changes to make current tcpdump work on Windows with Npcap are minor (we've done it in initial testing) and a lot of us still love tcpdump (even though it doesn't hold a candle to the amazing Wireshark feature-wise).

So the thought is that we should probably make a tcpdump.exe that uses Npcap (submitting any needed changes upstream for hopeful incorporation) and then we could include that as an optional (install by default) checkbox component. It would be useful both to everyone who appreciates tcpdump for Windows, and also handy as a quick check that an Npcap install is working. The tcpdump builds we have been making are less than 1mb, so fairly immaterial space wise. And of course people can choose not to include it in the install by unchecking or using command line installer option if desired.

Contributor guide

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First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

The issue does not name specific files or tests. Start by identifying how tcpdump can be built for Windows with Npcap and where optional components and command-line installer options are defined. Done means a working tcpdump.exe is available through the installer and can be omitted through the stated installation choices.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
c
Domain
networking, release
Issue type
Feature
Difficulty
5/5
Estimated time
Over a week
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
25/100

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