This is a continuation of the earlier posts starting with this one: http://ravinote.blogspot.com/2020/09/best-practice-from-networking.html
Almost every packet in the network for user's data is sandwiched between a header and a footer in some container and the data segments read with offset and length. This mechanism is repeated at various layers and becomes even more useful when data is encrypted.
Similarly, entries of data are interspersed with routine markers and indicators from packaging and processing perspectives. Many background jobs frequently stamp what’s relevant to them in between data segments so that they can continue their processing in a progressive manner.
Data format and reserved content for certain networking applications are proprietary and at times internal to the product. They may not be readable in raw form. Some command line tool to dump and parse the contents offline could prove very helpful.
The argument above also holds true for message passing between shared libraries inside a networking product While logs help capture the conversations, their entries may end up truncated. An offline tool to fully record, replay and interpret large messages would be helpful for troubleshooting.
Most of the newer networking products have embraced APIs in one form or the other. Their usage for protocols with external agents, internal diagnostics and manageability are valuable as online tools and merit the same if not better appreciation than scripts and offline tools.
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