Question : How to analyze dropped packets info in ethereal?

Hello, I use Ethereal 0.10.6, and someone has sent me a .cap file to analyze for dropped packets. I am kinda new to Ethereal and would like to know how to analyze and find dropped packet info including the reasons behind it. Is there an easier way to do it? Thanks in advance.

Answer : How to analyze dropped packets info in ethereal?

Hmmm, does it disconnect at a predictable interval?  Some iritating firewalls will disconnect sessions that are open for long periods of time, even if they are active.

If there is a bad cable somewhere, it is unlikely that a software sniffer will be able to tell you much, since there will usually be no packet to sniff.  I would start the trace, and start a stopwatch.  If you know exactly when the session disconnected, you can find the corresponding entry in the .CAP file and look for any packet patterns which seem different than while it was running correctly.  These issues can be hard to diagnose.  Also, scour the event logs on the gateways and the computers involved, looking for errors.

- Will