Packet capture & protocol diagnostics

Purpose and permissions#

Packet Capture is an administrative tool for a specific protocol investigation. Captures can contain addressing, content and authentication information. Use the narrowest useful filter and retain the file only as long as needed.

Controlled workflow#

1. Choose the protocol, relevant port and supported host/filter controls.
2. Select a bounded duration, such as 30 or 60 seconds.
3. Start only when you are ready to reproduce the issue.
4. Stop or wait for the server's automatic timeout.
5. Analyze/view packets or download the completed file.
6. Correlate timestamps and protocol IDs with the message or Voice trace.

Runtime setup#

PCAP_DIR stores capture files; PCAP_INTERFACE selects the interface; PCAP_USE_SUDO controls sudo invocation. The service needs the required tcpdump/capture privileges. A visible Start button does not grant missing operating-system permissions.

Capture lifecycle#

A running capture cannot be analyzed as a completed file. The current panel explains that old captures expire after three days. Check the stored state, packet count, file size and error if no useful traffic appears.

Sharing evidence#

Remove secrets and unrelated customer payloads before sharing outside the operational team. Prefer a submit ID and event trace when they answer the question without a packet file.