Installing Wireshark on Ubuntu: A Step-by-Step Guide

Wireshark, a powerful protocol analyzer software, offers an impressive range of features for filtering and analyzing network traffic. With its comprehensive language and ability to show reconstructed TCP sessions, it's no wonder that Wireshark has become a go-to tool for network administrators and analysts alike. In this article, we'll explore how to install the latest version of Wireshark on Ubuntu.

Before diving into the installation process, let's take a look at some of the key features that make Wireshark an indispensable tool in the world of network analysis. With its text-based version, tshark, users can capture data from live networks or read it from capture files saved on disk. The graphical interface may seem daunting at first, but with practice, it becomes a flexible and powerful tool for analyzing network traffic.

Wireshark offers many features that set it apart from other protocol analyzers, such as its ability to display all traffic passing through a network, including Ethernet networks. By setting the configuration in promiscuous mode, users can monitor network traffic without interference from other applications. Additionally, Wireshark supports standard tcpdump file formats, making it easy to integrate with other tools.

There are several ways to install Wireshark on Ubuntu, depending on your specific needs and preferences. The latest version of Wireshark is available for installation by compiling the source code, while older versions can be installed using PPA repositories. In this article, we'll focus on installing the latest version of Wireshark.

To get started, update your Ubuntu package list with the following command:

sudo apt-get update

Next, install the required dependencies and libraries:

sudo apt-get install build-essential libssl-dev libpcap-dev zlib1g-dev

Once the dependencies are installed, download the Wireshark source code from the official website. Extract the files to a directory of your choice, then navigate to that directory in the terminal.

Compile and install Wireshark using the following commands:

./configure

make

sudo make install

After installing Wireshark, you can launch it by searching for 'Wireshark' in the Ubuntu software menu or by running the command 'wireshark' in the terminal.

In addition to compiling the source code, users can also install older versions of Wireshark using PPA repositories. For example, version 2.2.6 is available on the official PPA repository:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:wireshark-dev/stable

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install wireshark

In conclusion, installing Wireshark on Ubuntu can be a bit more involved than other applications, but the end result is well worth the effort. With its powerful features and flexible interface, Wireshark has become an essential tool for network administrators and analysts alike. Whether you're looking to capture and analyze network traffic or simply monitor network activity, Wireshark is sure to meet your needs.

Wireshark ubuntu install