Learning Outcomes

In this practical, learners will explore how web traffic is transmitted across a network by capturing and examining HTTP, HTTPS, TCP, IP, and Ethernet information using Wireshark. Through hands-on activities, learners will observe how browsers generate web requests, how servers respond, and how protocol details such as port numbers, IP addresses, MAC addresses, and HTTP headers can be identified from captured packets. This practical will build foundational skills in packet capture, protocol analysis, and understanding how web communication takes place across a network. By the end of the practical, learners will be able to:

• Install Wireshark network traffic analyser.
• Capture network traffic generated from web browsing activities using Wireshark.
• Identify and analyse HTTP request and response messages from captured traffic.
• Interpret key HTTP information such as requested resources, response codes, and User-Agent details.
• Examine TCP packets to identify source and destination port numbers involved in web communication.
• Analyse IP packet details such as source and destination IP addresses.
• Identify Ethernet frame information, including source and destination MAC addresses.
• Apply packet analysis skills to observe how web browsers communicate with web servers over a network.