title: How to parse protobuf packets in Wireshark
body: <p>My goal is to have a plugin/dissector that can parse a protocol based on protobuf (UDP).<br>
  I found on the web an Auto-generate Wireshark/Ethereal dissector plugins for Protocol Buffer messages: <a href="https://code.google.com/archive/p/protobuf-wireshark/" rel="noreferrer">https://code.google.com/archive/p/protobuf-wireshark/</a><br>
  when i follow the <a href="https://storage.googleapis.com/google-code-archive-downloads/v2/code.google.com/protobuf-wireshark/README-runtime-v0.1.txt" rel="noreferrer">ReadMe</a> file i skipped "STEP 1: Install Wireshark from source" since i have it installed (version 1.12.3).  </p>
  
  <p><strong>Step 2: Prepare Protocol Buffers</strong> - </p>
  
  <blockquote>
    <p>this step i dont understend, how do i install <strong>libprotobuf</strong> and
    where?</p>
  </blockquote>
  
  <p><strong>Step 3: Updating wireshark configuration file</strong> - </p>
  
  <blockquote>
    <p>I'm not sure what is "wireshark_src_dir"</p>
  </blockquote>
  
  <p>I created a wireshark.conf file with:<br>
  <em>wireshark_src_dir</em>     : C:\Program Files (x86)\Wireshark<br>
  <em>wireshark_install_dir</em> : C:\Program Files (x86)\Wireshark<br>
  <em>wireshark_version</em>     : 1.12.3  </p>
  
  <p><strong>Step 4: Run make_wireshark_plugin.py</strong> - for that step i downloaded and installed python-3.6.0-amd64.exe.  </p>
  
  <blockquote>
    <p>When i run this i get an error that:   Traceback (most recent call
    last):   File "C:\ProtoBuff\protobuff\make_wireshark_plugin.py", line
    91, in 
        f=open("configure.in","r") FileNotFoundError: [Errno 2] No such file or directory: 'configure.in'.  </p>
    
    <p>This file realy doesn't exists in the package i downloaded from
    github. Where do i get this file? do i need to create such?   What is
    this make_wireshark_plugin.py generates?</p>
  </blockquote>
  
  <p><strong>Step 5: Create proto configuration files</strong> - All proto configuration files need to be in /usr/share/wireshark/protobuf or
  $HOME/.wireshark/protobuf.  </p>
  
  <blockquote>
    <p>i dont have a share folder and protobuf folder in wireshark
    installation path.   Can i simply put the proto configuration files in
    the plugins folder?</p>
  </blockquote>