Adding plugin for a custom protocol into Wireshark

Question

Using Qt, I developed a Wireshark plugin for decoding some data manually in a window. I also downloaded the Wireshark code for implementing it in Qt.

How can I add my protocol (plugin) name into the protocol field, so that if I click it, my plugin loads dynamically and becomes visible? Which part of the Wireshark code should be modified?

Answer 1

You can start by checking the path where Wireshark plugins are located. Run Wireshark, then select Help → About Wireshark → Plugins. Here you can check where the default Wireshark plugins are located in your computer.

I built a Wireshark plugin for version 1.12.0. After building with Ubuntu Wireshark sources, I got a file with the plugin, named plugin_name.so. I copied this plugin_name.so into the folder with Wireshark plugins:

sudo cp plugins/plugin_name/.libs/plugin_name.so /usr/local/lib/wireshark/plugins/1.12.0/

On Windows it should be a .dll file instead of a .so file.

To check that the plugin_name plugin is loaded, I ran Wireshark again, selected Help → About Wireshark → Plugins and there I saw plugin_name and the other plugins that Wireshark loaded.