This software parses tcpdump's output and presents headers in RFC defined format.
TAP (Tcpdump Analysing Parser) is a remarkable freeware parser that can be effectively used alongside tcpdump's -X option. This option prints out the data of each packet, along with all the headers except for the link layer one. TAP, on the other hand, parses the output provided by tcpdump and then constructs a clear and easy-to-read visualization of the headers, perfectly aligned with the appearance described in the RFC.
For added convenience, TAP also comes with a colorized output option. It is an extremely useful tool for those occasions when the user finds it challenging to quickly discern which field is which from the raw hex data.
To use TAP, simply run "tcpdump -X | ./tap" or "tcpdump -X > file cat file | ./tap". It is recommended that you avoid tcpdump's options "xx" or "XX", as it prints the link layer header as well, and TAP has not yet been updated to support that. However, feel free to use any other tcpdump option at your disposal. Please note that any options that affect the order in which raw data is presented on stdout may inadvertently affect the parser's usefulness.
For added convenience, TAP also comes with a colorized output option. It is an extremely useful tool for those occasions when the user finds it challenging to quickly discern which field is which from the raw hex data.
To use TAP, simply run "tcpdump -X | ./tap" or "tcpdump -X > file cat file | ./tap". It is recommended that you avoid tcpdump's options "xx" or "XX", as it prints the link layer header as well, and TAP has not yet been updated to support that. However, feel free to use any other tcpdump option at your disposal. Please note that any options that affect the order in which raw data is presented on stdout may inadvertently affect the parser's usefulness.
What's New
Version 0.6: N/A