Tony shares tips, tricks, training, events and news
January 06, 2021
Wireshark Display Filter Tip: Show Specific Frame Numbers
Wireshark’s features can really be a catch 22. In one way, they are very powerful but on another hand, many of them are difficult to find. Every so often I find a gem of a tip or trick which makes packet analysis a lot easier.
In this video I share a different kind of display filter that you may not be familiar with. I’m sure you have used MAC, IP address, TCP, UDP and maybe even some application layer display filters. I find that sometimes I need to display just a few packets that might not have MAC, IP, TCP or UDP port numbers in common.
As you will see in the video, one way to address this challenge is to simply Mark the packets and then apply a display filter for just marked packets. The other way is to use the following display filter syntax frame.number in {frame numbers} this will simply display any frame number you provide in the curly braces.
By focusing on a lesser‑known display filter, I demonstrate how to cut through noisy captures and quickly zero in on the traffic you actually need to inspect.
That’s it folks, quick and simple ..
Tony Fortunato is a Senior Network Performance Specialist and founder of The Technology Firm, where he has been designing, implementing, and troubleshooting computer networks since 1989.
His company specializes in customized onsite and remote training, live network troubleshooting, packet analysis, and mentoring, helping organizations improve both their network performance and the skills of their technical staff. Tony has taught thousands of IT professionals at colleges, universities, industry conferences, and private training sessions, with expertise spanning Wireshark, NetAlly tools, Microsoft networking, wireless technologies, and open-source network analysis utilities.
He is also a prolific technical author and content creator, publishing hundreds of networking articles, producing educational YouTube videos, and contributing to publications such as NetworkDataPedia, NetAlly, and Network Computing.
Throughout his career, he has built a reputation for practical, hands-on troubleshooting, emphasizing methodology, knowledge transfer, and real-world solutions over simply fixing individual problems.
