View SOAP messages using Ethereal

Summary

There are many ways to monitor network traffic, including SOAP messages. This article describes one method using Ethereal, a free network analysis program.

Procedure

1. Download both the Ethereal installer, ethereal-setup-version.exe, and the WinPcap installer, either version, from the Ethereal download site.
2. Install both programs on the computer that hosts the ArcWeb application.
3. Start Ethereal by navigating to Start > Programs > Ethereal > Ethereal.
4. Start a live capture.
   
   
   1. In the Ethereal toolbar, click the Start a Live Capture button to open the Capture Options dialog. The button is a document icon with a gear on top and appears on the left end of the toolbar.
   2. From the Interface menu, select the appropriate Internet connection.
   3. Click Capture Filter to open the filter options dialog box.
   4. For Filter String type: host arcweb.esri.com
   5. Click OK twice.
   
   
5. Use your application. You should see numbers appear in the pop-up window. When finished running the test, click Stop.
6. Look for listings under the Info heading that start with POST.
7. Right click a listing and select Follow TCP Stream. A pop-up dialog box appears and displays SOAP requests in red and SOAP responses in blue. When finished examining the TCP steam, close the pop-up dialog box and click the Clear button to return to the full list of captured traffic.