This module is responsible for package collecting, whether made through a network interface or files from disk, and also for saving packages into the a disk. These two tasks are implemented via specific libraries to this type of application: WinPcap for Windows environment and libpcap, for GNU/Linux environment.
The tasks performed by this module are:
- List of network interfaces of the system, so they can be displayed through a graphical interface, allowing users to choose the most appropriate;
- receiving instruction for opening a network interface and capture the packets through it;
- capturing packets through a network interface, which can be done in promiscuous mode, i.e. capture all packets that pass from the physical network interface selected, even if not as a destination that interface;
- set the filters selected by the user to capture only packets of interest (IP address, port, etc.);
- receiving instruction for opening files saved on disk;
- save the package lists on disk, on the instructions of the graphical user interface;
- notice to the top module on hierarchy about the arrival of a new package on a network interface or an open file, depending on what has been instructed to be done.