1 NOTE: this document applies to the Ethereal source releases. It also
2 applies to buildbot source tarballs, but it does not apply to source
3 code checked out directly from Subversion, as files such as the
4 configuration script are not checked into Subversion, but need to be
5 generated from the autoconf and automake files.
10 These are installation instructions for Unix and Unix-like systems
11 that can run the "configure" script in this same directory. These
12 are not the installation instructions for Windows systems; see
13 README.win32 for those instructions.
15 0. This is beta software. Beware.
17 1. If you wish to build Ethereal, make sure you have GTK+ and GLIB
18 installed. Try running 'gtk-config --version' and
19 'glib-config --version' to see if you have them installed.
20 Ethereal needs versions 1.2.0 or above of both these packages.
21 If you need to install or re-install GTK+ or GLIB, you can find
26 If you installed GTK+ from a binary package, you may have to
27 install a "development" package; there may be separate "user's"
28 and "developer's" packages, with the former not including
29 header files and the like. For example, Red Hat users will
30 need to install a "gtk-devel" .rpm.
32 Note also that Ethereal configuration defaults to using GTK+ and
33 GLib 2.x; you need to configure with --disable-gtk2 to use GTK+
36 2. If you wish to build Tethereal, the line-mode version of Ethereal,
37 make sure you have GLIB installed. See note #1 above for instructions
38 on checking if you have GLIB installed. You can download GLIB from
41 3. If you want to capture packets, make sure you have libpcap
42 installed. The latest "official" version can be found at
44 http://www.tcpdump.org .
46 If you've downloaded the 0.5.2 version, make sure you install
47 the headers ('make install-incl') when you install the library.
48 The CVS snapshots will install the headers if you do 'make
49 install', and have no 'install-incl' target.
51 If you installed libpcap from a binary package, you may have to
52 install a "development" package; for example, there's
53 apparently a "libpcap0" Debian package, but it just includes a
54 shared library, a copyright notice, changelog files, and a
55 README file - you also need to install a "libpcap-dev" package
56 to get header files, a non-shared library, and the man page.
57 Similarly, Red Hat 5.x users will need to install a "libpcap-devel"
58 .rpm to go along with the "libpcap" .rpm.
60 4. Run './configure' in the Ethereal distribution directory.
61 Running './configure --help' displays a list of options.
62 The file 'INSTALL.configure' contains general instructions for
63 using 'configure' and 'make'. Ethereal has some non-generic configure
67 Ethereal installs a support file (manuf) in ${PREFIX}/etc by
68 default, where ${PREFIX} comes from --prefix=DIR. If you do not
69 specify any --prefix option, ${PREFIX} is "/usr/local".
70 You can change the location of the manuf file with the --sysconfdir
74 By default 'configure' will look in /usr/local/{include,lib} for
75 additional header files and libraries. Using this switch keeps
76 'configure' from looking there
79 By default, if 'configure' finds the GTK+ libraries, the Makefile
80 build Ethereal, the GUI packet analyzer. You can disable the
81 build of the GUI version of Ethereal with this switch.
84 Build Glib/Gtk+ 1.2[.x]-based ethereal.
87 By default the line-mode packet analyzer, Tethereal, is built.
88 Use this switch to avoid building it.
91 By default the capture-file editing program is built.
92 Use this switch to avoid building it.
95 By default the capture-file merging program is built.
96 Use this switch to avoid building it.
99 By default the hex-dump-to-capture file conversion program
100 is built. Use this switch to avoid building it.
103 By default the IDL-to-ethereal-dissector-source-code converter
104 is built. Use this switch to avoid building it.
107 By default the display-filter-compiler test program is not built.
108 Use this switch to build it.
111 By default the program which creates random packet-capture files
112 is not built. Use this switch to build it.
115 If you choose to build a packet analyzer that can analyze
116 capture files but cannot capture packets on its own, but you
117 *do* have libpcap installed, or if you are trying to build
118 Ethereal on a system that doesn't have libpcap installed (in
119 which case you have no choice but to build a version that can
120 analyze capture files but cannot capture packets on its own),
121 use --without-pcap to avoid using libpcap.
124 Use this to tell Ethereal where you have libpcap installed, if
125 it is installed in a non-standard location.
128 By default, if 'configure' finds zlib (a.k.a, libz), the
129 wiretap library will be built so that it can read compressed
130 capture files. If you have zlib but do not wish to build
131 it into the wiretap library, used by Ethereal, Tethereal, and
132 the capture-file utilities that come in this package, use
136 Use this to tell Ethereal where you have zlib installed, if it
137 is installed in a non-standard location.
140 If 'configure' finds support for IPv6 name resolution on
141 your system, the packet analyzers will make use of it.
142 To avoid using IPv6 name resolution if you have the support for it,
145 --enable-setuid-install
146 Use this switch to install the packet analyzers as setuid.
147 Installating Ethereal and Tethereal as setuid 'root' is
148 dangerous. Repeat: IT'S DANGEROUS. Don't do it.
151 If your SNMP library needs the SSL library, and your
152 SSL library is installed in a non-standard location,
153 you can specify where your SSL library is with this switch.
156 If 'configure' finds a supported version of the NET SNMP library
157 on your system, the SNMP dissector will be enhanced to use
158 routines from that SNMP library. Use this switch to avoid
159 using the NET SNMP library even if you have it installed.
162 Tell the 'configure' script where your net-snmp-config shell script
163 that comes with the net-snmp package is located, if not in a standard
167 If 'configure' finds a supported version of the UCD SNMP library
168 on your system, the SNMP dissector will be enhanced to use
169 routines from that SNMP library. Use this switch to avoid
170 using the UCD SNMP library even if you have it installed.
173 Tell the 'configure' script where your UCD SNMP library
174 is located, if not in a standard location.
177 By default, if your system can support run-time loadable modules,
178 the packet analyzers are build with support for plugins.
179 Use this switcht to build packet analyzers without plugin support.
182 By default, plugins are installed in
183 ${LIBDIR}/ethereal/plugins/${VERSION}
185 ${LIBDIR} can be set with --libdir, or defaults to ${EPREFIX/lib}
186 ${EPREFIX} can be set with --exec-prefix, or defaults to ${PREFIX}
187 ${VERSION} is the Etherael version.
189 Use this switch to change the location where plugins
192 5. After running './configure', you will see a summary of some
193 of the options you chose. Ensure that the summary reflects
194 what you want. If it doesn't, re-run './configure' with new options.
196 6. Run 'make'. Hopefully, you won't run into any problems.
198 7. Run './ethereal' or './tethereal', and make sure things are working.
199 You must have root privileges in order to capture live data.
201 8. Run 'make install'. If you wish to install the man page, run
202 'make install-man'. If you're running a system that supports
203 the Apt, RPM, or System V Release 4 packaging systems, you can
206 make debian-package # Builds a binary package using dpkg
207 make rpm-package # Builds a binary package using rpm
208 make srpm-package # Builds a source package using rpm
209 make svr4-package # Builds a source package using pkgmk
210 make solaris-package # Same as "make svr4-package"
212 to make an installable package for your system.
214 If you have trouble with the build or installation process, you can
215 find assistance on the ethereal-users and ethereal-dev mailing lists.
216 See http://www.ethereal.com/lists/ for details.