On a Linux or Unix environment, select the Wireshark or Ethereal entry in the desktop environment's menu, or run ' wireshark' (or ' ethereal') from a root shell in a terminal emulator. With installers, ensure all product components are selected for installation.

For other platforms, download a binary or installer from. Wireshark is included in SUSE Linux products (for some products, under its old name, Ethereal). Obtain a Wireshark package or installer for the operating system running on the system which is to be used for packet capture. If it is unclear which deployment scenario should be used to capture traces for a particular problem, consider opening a service request with SUSE Technical Services for assistance. Refer to the capture setup pages in the wiki for technical details on various deployment scenarios. Before Wireshark (or in general, any packet capture tool) is used, careful consideration should be given to where in the network packets are to be captured. Wireshark is a tool that allows packet traces to be sniffed, captured and analysed.

Wireshark pcap portable