ask.wireshark.org is Here!

Posted 09-22-2010

 

 

 

It's not a forum... it's a Q&A site!

Last week Gerald announced ask.wireshark.org on his blog. The site is based
on OSQA (an open source Q&A solution).  

I've been playing around on ask.wireshark.org and it's pretty interesting to read
the variety of questions that have been posted. Just what I need - something else
to keep me awake at night! Sigh.

Go Ahead - Ask a Question
You can read the Q&A FAQ ("sweet baby corn cob?"), but here's the basic flow for
using ask.wireshark.org:

1. Sign up for a free account at ask.wireshark.org.
2. Click "ask a question." Be as clear and complete with your question. If
someone doesn't understand or wants more facts, they can comment on your
question.
3. You can add details by commenting on your own question as well.
4. When your question gets answered you will receive an email notification (this
is a setting you can change in Users > User Tools > Autosubscribe me to).
5. Now here's the important part -
a. If the answer solved the issue, mark it "answered."
b. If someone asks for more information, please comment to provide it.

Marking questions answered ensures that only truly unanswered questions
show up when you click the Unanswered tab.

Do We Need Those Stinkin' Badges?
Click on the Badges tab to see the various badges you can earn (and how many times they have been awarded since the launch of ask.wireshark.org) by being an active, contributing member.

Pick Up Some Great Tips
By reading through some of the questions/answers at ask.wireshark.org, you can learn:  

• How to create an offset filter for Ethernet packets
  
• How to display all TCP connections with SYN packets
  
• The cause of SMB STATUS_ACCESS_DENIED packets
  
• How checksum errors can become a red herring in troubleshooting
  

I remember the old CompuServe NetWire days - it's fun to get active online again.
See you there!

Remember to check out the Wireshark Certified Network Analyst program
at www.wiresharktraining.com/certification!

Enjoy!

Laura