Overview
If M-Files support requests to capture network traffic for an issue investigation, either Wireshark or Network Monitor are recommended tools for that. But if for some reason those cannot be used, for example it is not feasible to install additional programs, Windows build in "netsh trace" command line tool can be used.Solution
Do the following to collect a network traffic trace with netsh:Run Powershell with elevated rights and enter a command "netsh trace start capture=yes tracefile=<location>".
For example:
PS C:\> netsh trace start capture=yes tracefile=C:\logFiles\mfnettrace.etl
Parameter tracefile specifies the output file—if not specified, the captured trace is stored in a file %LOCALAPPDATA%\Temp\NetTraces\NetTrace.etl.
It is possible to filter what is collected by specifying additional parameters, e.g. collecting only traffic from a certain IP address:
PS C:\> netsh trace start capture=yes IPv4.Address=<IPAddress>
All the available filtering options can be viewed with a command "netsh trace show CaptureFilterHelp".
Let it collect data for an instructed period and complete the tracing with a following command:
PS C:\> netsh trace stop
Two log files will be created in the same directory: .cab and .etl. If not especially requested, send only .etl file to M-Files support for an analysis.
Note that as the network trace files may contain confidential information and therefore categorized as GDPR material, please notify M-Files support before sending them in.
