Wireshark · Ethereal-users: Re: [Ethereal-users] tethereal eats my memory

[Guy Harris <gharris@xxxxxxxxx>]

Stefan Sabolowitsch wrote:

> I have here a Firewall with three NIC. 
> There i started tethereal as follows.
>
> ./tethereal -i any -R ip.addr == 192.168.100.100 or ip.addr == 217.6.34.4 -a
> filesize:50000 -b 100 -w /var/log/trace.pcap

Tethereal is eating memory because you used the "-R" flag; display 
filters require that packets be fully dissected, and the dissection 
process creates state information, reassembled packets, etc. which 
consume memory.

If you want to capture only traffic to or from 192.168.100.100 or to or 
from 217.6.34.4, you can do that with a capture filter.  If you're not 
printing the packets, and you're not using a "read filter" when 
capturing, Tethereal won't dissect the packets; that means it'll consume 
not only less memory, but less CPU time.

Try

	tethereal -i any -a filesize:50000 -b 100 -w /var/log/trace.pcap host 
192.168.100.100 or 217.6.34.4

and see whether that runs longer.