In network parlance, “packets” are packages of data that carry information. Capture them with a software tool like Wireshark or Ethereal and you can peer inside them, reassemble them, and use them to really understand network communication from the inside out. But what do you do with those packets once you’ve collected them? And how can they help you to better understand what’s going on under the hood of your network?

Like many No Starch Press readers, publisher Bill Pollock wanted to know what to do with the packets he captured with Wireshark. After a bit of searching he happened upon Chris Sanders’ “Packet School 101″ on the net and Practical Packet Analysis was the result. Here is a book that shows anyone interested in troubleshooting a network or understanding network communication how to use Wireshark to capture and analyze packets. This is real-world packet analysis and network troubleshooting, the way the pros do it.

“Wireshark is a snap to install and I can point-and-click just as well as the next guy,” said Pollock. “But pointing and clicking didn’t help me to do anything with the packets I captured. I wanted to get information from those packets. Chris Sanders offers that answer with his Practical Packet Analysis.”

Readers of Practical Packet Analysis learn how to:

• Use packet analysis to tackle common network problems, such as loss of connectivity, slow networks, and malware
• Build customized capture and display filters
• Tap into and view live network communication
• Graph traffic patterns to visualize the data flowing across a network
• Use advanced Wireshark features to understand confusing packets

Because net-centric computing requires a deep understanding of network communication at the packet level, Practical Packet Analysis is a must have for any network administrator or engineer troubleshooting network problems of any kind.