wireshark/docbook/eug_src/EUG_app_files.xml

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<appendix id="AppFiles">
  <title>Configuration (and other) Files and Folders</title>
    <para>
      Ethereal uses a number of files and folders while it is running. Some 
	  of these reside in the personal configuration folder and are used to 
	  maintain information between runs of Ethereal, while some of them are 
	  maintained in system areas.
    </para>
	<tip><title>Tip</title>
	<para>A list of the folders Ethereal actually uses can be found under the 
	<command>Folders</command> tab in the dialog box coming up, when you select 
	<command>About Ethereal</command> from the <command>Help</command> menu.
	</para>
	</tip>
    <para>
	The content format of the configuration files is the same on all platforms.
	However, to match the different policies for unix and windows platforms, 
	different folders for these files are used.
    </para>
    <table id="AppFilesTabFolders" frame="none">
	<title>Configuration files and folders overview</title>
      <tgroup cols="4">
	<colspec colnum="1" colwidth="72pt"/>
	  <colspec colnum="2" colwidth="80pt"/>
	  <colspec colnum="3" colwidth="80pt"/>
	    <thead>
	      <row>
		<entry>File/Folder</entry>
		<entry>Description</entry>
		<entry>Unix/Linux folders</entry>
		<entry>Windows folders</entry>
	      </row>
	    </thead>
	    <tbody>
	      <row>
		<entry><command>preferences</command></entry>
		<entry>Settings from the Preferences dialog box.</entry>
		<entry>/etc/ethereal.conf, $HOME/.ethereal/preferences</entry>
		<entry>%ETHEREAL%\ethereal.conf, %APPDATA%\Ethereal\preferences</entry>
	      </row>
	      <row>
		<entry><command>recent</command></entry>
		<entry>Recent GUI settings (e.g. recent files lists).</entry>
		<entry>$HOME/.ethereal/recent</entry>
		<entry>%APPDATA%\Ethereal\recent</entry>
	      </row>
	      <row>
		<entry><command>cfilters</command></entry>
		<entry>Capture filters.</entry>
		<entry>$HOME/.ethereal/cfilters</entry>
		<entry>%ETHEREAL%\cfilters, %APPDATA%\Ethereal\cfilters</entry>
	      </row>
	      <row>
		<entry><command>dfilters</command></entry>
		<entry>Display filters.</entry>
		<entry>$HOME/.ethereal/dfilters</entry>
		<entry>%ETHEREAL%\dfilters, %APPDATA%\Ethereal\dfilters</entry>
	      </row>
	      <row>
		<entry><command>colorfilters</command></entry>
		<entry>Coloring rules.</entry>
		<entry>$HOME/.ethereal/colorfilters</entry>
		<entry>%ETHEREAL%\colorfilters, %APPDATA%\Ethereal\colorfilters</entry>
	      </row>
	      <row>
		<entry><command>disabled_protos</command></entry>
		<entry>Disabled protocols.</entry>
		<entry>$HOME/.ethereal/disabled_protos</entry>
		<entry>%ETHEREAL%\disabled_protos, %APPDATA%\Ethereal\disabled_protos</entry>
	      </row>
	      <row>
		<entry><command>ethers</command></entry>
		<entry>Ethernet name resolution.</entry>
		<entry>/etc/ethers, $HOME/.ethereal/ethers</entry>
		<entry>%ETHEREAL%\ethers, %APPDATA%\Ethereal\ethers</entry>
	      </row>
	      <row>
		<entry><command>manuf</command></entry>
		<entry>Ethernet name resolution.</entry>
		<entry>/etc/manuf</entry>
		<entry>%ETHEREAL%\manuf</entry>
	      </row>
	      <row>
		<entry><command>hosts</command></entry>
		<entry>IPv4 and IPv6 name resolution.</entry>
		<entry>$HOME/.ethereal/hosts</entry>
		<entry>%APPDATA%\hosts</entry>
	      </row>
	      <row>
		<entry><command>ipxnets</command></entry>
		<entry>IPX name resolution.</entry>
		<entry>$HOME/.ethereal/ipxnets</entry>
		<entry>%ETHEREAL%\ipxnets</entry>
	      </row>
	      <row>
		<entry><command>plugins</command></entry>
		<entry>Plugin directories.</entry>
		<entry>/usr/share/ethereal/plugins, 
	      /usr/local/share/ethereal/plugins, 
	      $HOME/.ethereal/plugins
		</entry>
		<entry>%ETHEREAL%\plugins\&lt;version&gt;, 
		%APPDATA%\Ethereal\plugins</entry>
	      </row>
	      <row>
		<entry><command>temp</command></entry>
		<entry>Temporary files.</entry>
		<entry>Environment: TMPDIR</entry>
		<entry>Environment: TMPDIR or TEMP</entry>
	      </row>
	    </tbody>
      </tgroup>
    </table>
	<note><title>Windows folders</title>
	<para>
	%APPDATA% points to the personal configuration folder, typically 
	<filename>C:\Documents and Settings\&lt;username&gt;\Application Data</filename> 
	(for further details, have a look at <xref linkend="ChWindowsProfiles"/>), 
	%ETHEREAL% points to the Ethereal program folder, typically 
	<filename>C:\Program Files\Ethereal</filename>
	</para>
	</note>
	<note><title>Unix/Linux folders</title>
	<para>
	The <filename>/etc</filename> folder is the global Ethereal configuration 
	folder. The folder actually used on your system 
	may vary, maybe something like: <filename>/usr/local/etc</filename>.
	</para>
	</note>
    <para>
      <variablelist>
	<varlistentry>
	  <term><command>preferences/ethereal.conf</command></term>
	  <listitem>
	    <para>
	      This file contains your Ethereal preferences, 
	      including defaults for capturing and displaying packets.  
	      It is a simple text file containing statements of the form:
	      <programlisting>
variable: value
		  </programlisting>
	      The settings from this file are 
		  read in at program start and written to disk when you press the
		  Save button in the "Preferences" dialog box.
	    </para>
	  </listitem>
	</varlistentry>
	<varlistentry>
	  <term><command>recent</command></term>
	  <listitem>
	    <para>
	      This file contains various GUI related settings like the main window
		  position and size, the recent files list and such.
	      It is a simple text file containing statements of the form:
	      <programlisting>
variable: value
		  </programlisting>
		  It is read at program start and written at program exit. 
	    </para>
	  </listitem>
	</varlistentry>
	<varlistentry><term><command>cfilters</command></term>
	  <listitem>
	    <para>
	      This file contains all the capture filters that you have defined 
	      and saved. It consists of one or more lines, where each 
	      line has the following format:
	      <programlisting>
"&lt;filter name>" &lt;filter string>
	      </programlisting>
 		The settings from this file are read in at program start and written 
		to disk when you press the Save button in the "Capture Filters" dialog 
		box.
		</para>
	  </listitem>
	</varlistentry>
	<varlistentry><term><command>dfilters</command></term>
	  <listitem>
	    <para>
	      This file contains all the display filters that you have defined 
	      and saved. It consists of one or more lines, where each 
	      line has the following format:
	      <programlisting>
"&lt;filter name>" &lt;filter string>
	      </programlisting>
 		The settings from this file are read in at program start and written 
		to disk when you press the Save button in the "Display Filters" dialog 
		box.
	    </para>
	  </listitem>
	</varlistentry>
	<varlistentry>
	  <term><command>colorfilters</command></term>
	  <listitem>
	    <para>
	      This file contains all the color filters that you have 
	      defined and saved. It consists of one or more lines, 
	      where each line has the following format:
	      <programlisting>
@&lt;filter name>@&lt;filter string>
@[&lt;bg RGB(16-bit)>][&lt;fg RGB(16-bit)>]
	      </programlisting>
	    </para>
		<para>
 		The settings from this file are read in at program start and written 
		to disk when you press the Save button in the "Coloring Rules" dialog 
		box.
		</para>
	  </listitem>
	</varlistentry>
	<varlistentry>
	  <term><command>disabled_protos</command></term>
	  <listitem>
	    <para>
	      Each line in this file specifies a disabled protocol name. The 
		  following are some examples:
	      <programlisting>
tcp
udp
		  </programlisting>
	    </para>
		<para>
 		The settings from this file are read in at program start and written 
		to disk when you press the Save button in the "Enabled Protocols" 
		dialog box.
		</para>
	  </listitem>
	</varlistentry>
	<varlistentry>
	  <term>
	    <command>ethers</command>
	  </term>
	  <listitem>
	    <para>
	      When Ethereal is trying to translate Ethernet hardware 
	      addresses to names, it consults the files listed in 
		  <xref linkend="AppFilesTabFolders"/>.
	      If an address is not found in /etc/ethers, 
	      Ethereal looks in $HOME/.ethereal/ethers
	    </para>
	    <para>
	      Each line in these files consists of one hardware address and 
	      name separated by whitespace. The digits of hardware 
	      addresses are separated by colons (:), dashes (-) or 
	      periods(.). The following are some examples:
	      <programlisting>
ff-ff-ff-ff-ff-ff    Broadcast
c0-00-ff-ff-ff-ff    TR_broadcast
00.2b.08.93.4b.a1    Freds_machine
	      </programlisting>
 		The settings from this file are read in at program start and never 
		written by Ethereal.
	    </para>
	  </listitem>
	</varlistentry>
	<varlistentry>
	  <term><command>manuf</command></term>
	  <listitem>
	    <para>
	      Ethereal uses the files listed in <xref linkend="AppFilesTabFolders"/>
		  to translate the first three bytes of an Ethernet address into a 
		  manufacturers name.  This file has the same format as the ethers 
		  file, except addresses are three bytes long.
	    </para>
	    <para>
	      An example is:
	      <programlisting>
00:00:01	Xerox                  # XEROX CORPORATION
	      </programlisting>
	    </para>
		<para>
 		The settings from this file are read in at program start and never 
		written by Ethereal.
		</para>
	  </listitem>
	</varlistentry>
	<varlistentry>
	  <term><command>hosts</command></term>
	  <listitem>
	    <para>
	      Ethereal uses the files listed in <xref linkend="AppFilesTabFolders"/>
		  to translate IPv4 and IPv6 addresses into names.
	    </para>
	    <para>
		  This file has the same format as the usual /etc/hosts file in unix systems.
	    </para>
	    <para>
	      An example is:
	      <programlisting>
# Comments must be prepended by the # sign!
192.168.0.1 homeserver
	      </programlisting>
	    </para>
		<para>
 		The settings from this file are read in at program start and never 
		written by Ethereal.
		</para>
	  </listitem>
	</varlistentry>
	<varlistentry>
	  <term><command>ipxnets</command></term>
	  <listitem>
	    <para>
	      Ethereal uses the files listed in <xref linkend="AppFilesTabFolders"/>
		  to translate IPX network numbers into names.
	    </para>
	    <para>
	      An example is:
	      <programlisting>
C0.A8.2C.00      HR
c0-a8-1c-00      CEO
00:00:BE:EF      IT_Server1
110f             FileServer3
	      </programlisting>
	    </para>
		<para>
 		The settings from this file are read in at program start and never 
		written by Ethereal.
		</para>
	  </listitem>
	</varlistentry>
	<varlistentry>
	  <term><command>plugins</command> folder</term>
	  <listitem>
	    <para>
	      Ethereal searches for plugins in the directories listed in
		  <xref linkend="AppFilesTabFolders"/>. 
	      They are searched in the order listed.
	    </para>
	  </listitem>
	</varlistentry>
	<varlistentry>
	  <term><command>temp</command> folder</term>
	  <listitem>
	    <para>
	      If you start a new capture and don't specify a filename for it, 
		  Ethereal uses this directory to place that file in, see
		  <xref linkend="ChCapCaptureFiles"/>.
	    </para>
	  </listitem>
	</varlistentry>
      </variablelist>
    </para>

	<section id="ChWindowsFolder"><title>Windows folders</title>
	<para>
	Here you will find some details about the folders used in Ethereal 
	on different Windows versions. 
	</para>
	<para>
	As already mentioned, you can find the currently used folders in the 
	<command>About Ethereal</command> dialog.
	</para>
	
	<section id="ChWindowsProfiles"><title>Windows profiles</title>
	<para>
	Windows uses some special directories to store user configuration files 
	in, named the user profile. This can be confusing, as the default directory location
	changed from version to version and might also be different for english 
	and internationalized versions of windows. 
	</para>
	<note><title>Note!</title>
	<para>
	If you upgraded to a new windows version, your profile might 
	be kept in the former location, so the defaults mentioned here might not 
	apply.
	</para>
	</note>
	<para>
	The following will try to guide 
	you to the right place where to look for Ethereals profile data.
	</para>
	<para>
      <variablelist>
	<varlistentry>
	  <term><command>95/98/ME</command></term>
	  <listitem>
	<para>
	The default in Windows 95/98/ME is: all users work with the same profile,
	which is located at: 
	<filename>C:\windows\Application Data\Ethereal</filename>
	</para>
	  </listitem>
	</varlistentry>
	<varlistentry>
	  <term><command>98/ME (with enabled user profiles)</command></term>
	  <listitem>
	<para>
	In Windows 98 and ME you can enable separate user profiles. In that case,
	something like:
	<filename>C:\windows\Profiles\&lt;username&gt;\Application Data\Ethereal</filename>
	is used.
	</para>
	  </listitem>
	</varlistentry>
	<varlistentry>
	  <term><command>NT 4</command></term>
	  <listitem>
	<para>
	<filename>C:\WINNT\Profiles\&lt;username&gt;\Application Data\Ethereal</filename>
	</para>
	  </listitem>
	</varlistentry>
	<varlistentry>
	  <term><command>2000/XP</command></term>
	  <listitem>
	<para>
	<filename>C:\Documents and Settings\&lt;username&gt;\Application Data</filename>, 
	"Documents and Settings" and "Application Data" might be internationalized.
	</para>
	  </listitem>
	</varlistentry>
      </variablelist>
	</para>
	</section>

	<section id="ChWindowsRoamingProfiles">
	<title>Windows NT/2000/XP roaming profiles</title>
	<para>
	The following will only be applicable if you are using roaming profiles.
	This might be the case, if you work in a Windows domain environment 
	(used in huge company networks). The configurations of all 
	programs you use won't be saved on the local harddrive of the computer 
	you are currently working on, but on the domain server.
	</para>
	<para>
	As Ethereal is using the correct places to store it's profile data,
	your settings will travel with you, if you logon to a different computer 
	the next time.
	</para>
	<para>
	There is an exception to this: The "Local Settings" folder in your profile 
	data (typically something like: 
	<filename>C:\Documents and Settings\&lt;username&gt;\Local Settings</filename>)
	will not be transferred to the domain server. This is the default for 
	temporary capture files.
	</para>
	</section>

	<section id="ChWindowsTempFolder">
	<title>Windows temporary folder</title>
	<para>
	Ethereal uses the folder which is set by the TMPDIR or TEMP environment 
	variable. This variable will be set by the windows installer.
	</para>
	<para>
	The default location for temporary files on NT 4 is just 
	<filename>C:\TEMP</filename>, and in 2000 the default location 
	is some directory under your profile directory but it might have 
	"Temporary Files" in the path name.
	</para>
	</section>

	</section>

</appendix>
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