[PATCH v2] examples/rpcapd: demo version of packet capture daemon

Marat Khalili qm2k21 at gmail.com
Mon Sep 21 11:51:39 CEST 2026


Very cool example, demonstrating many advanced DPDK features at once. In 
this regard, it really excels.

It could be however useful as a debug tool, and in this case having to 
deal with a secondary process is a hassle. Could we have this feature in 
dpdk-testpmd, instead or as well?

Otherwise, having seen the demonstration, I do not have many comments, 
except for a couple nits below.

On 20/09/2026 19:59, Stephen Hemminger wrote:
> This example adds RPCAP support over localhost TCP
> integrated with DPDK. It uses a secondary process that allows
> connections from using tcpdump defacto protocol rpcap.
>
> See: doc/guides/sample_app_ug/rpcapd.rst for more info
>
> Signed-off-by: Stephen Hemminger <stephen at networkplumber.org>
> ---
> v2 - Build on Linux only
>     - add filter support
>     - fix lots of AI review feedback
>
>   MAINTAINERS                            |    2 +
>   doc/guides/rel_notes/release_26_11.rst |    4 +
>   doc/guides/sample_app_ug/index.rst     |    1 +
>   doc/guides/sample_app_ug/rpcapd.rst    |  216 ++++
>   examples/meson.build                   |    1 +
>   examples/rpcapd/main.c                 | 1430 ++++++++++++++++++++++++

main.c is a bit large and handles many different functions. It would be 
more readable if different aspects were handled by different files, or 
at least clearly marked sections of the file, with overall structure 
explained somewhere at the top.

>   examples/rpcapd/meson.build            |   19 +
>   examples/rpcapd/rpcap-protocol.h       |  127 +++
Could we just use one from libpcap?


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