WINDOWS_SETUP.md

Windows Setup Guide

This guide will help you build and run the DPI Engine on Windows. Follow these steps exactly.

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Option 1: Using Visual Studio (Recommended for Beginners)

Step 1: Install Visual Studio

1. Download Visual Studio 2022 Community (free):

   • Go to: https://visualstudio.microsoft.com/downloads/
   • Click "Free download" under Community

2. Run the installer

3. When asked "What workloads to install", select:

   • ✅ Desktop development with C++

   

4. Click "Install" and wait (this takes 10-20 minutes)

Step 2: Open the Project

1. Open Visual Studio 2022

2. Click "Open a local folder"

3. Navigate to the packet_analyzer folder and click "Select Folder"

4. Wait for Visual Studio to scan the files (bottom status bar shows progress)

Step 3: Create a Build Configuration

1. In Solution Explorer (right side), right-click on the folder name

2. Click "Add" → "New Item"

3. Select "C++ File (.cpp)" and name it CMakeSettings.json

4. Replace the content with:

{
  "configurations": [
    {
      "name": "x64-Release",
      "generator": "Ninja",
      "configurationType": "Release",
      "inheritEnvironments": ["msvc_x64_x64"],
      "buildRoot": "${projectDir}\\build\\${name}",
      "installRoot": "${projectDir}\\install\\${name}",
      "cmakeCommandArgs": "",
      "buildCommandArgs": "",
      "ctestCommandArgs": ""
    }
  ]
}

5. Save the file (Ctrl+S)

Step 4: Build the Project

Method A: Using CMake (if CMakeLists.txt works)

1. Visual Studio should detect CMakeLists.txt automatically
2. Select "Build" → "Build All" from the menu
3. The executable will be in build\x64-Release\

Method B: Manual Build (Recommended)

1. Open "View" → "Terminal" (or press Ctrl+`)

2. In the terminal, type:

cd packet_analyzer

cl /EHsc /std:c++17 /O2 /I include /Fe:dpi_engine.exe ^
    src\dpi_mt.cpp ^
    src\pcap_reader.cpp ^
    src\packet_parser.cpp ^
    src\sni_extractor.cpp ^
    src\types.cpp

3. If successful, you'll see dpi_engine.exe in the folder

Step 5: Run the Program

dpi_engine.exe test_dpi.pcap output.pcap

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Option 2: Using MinGW-w64 (GCC for Windows)

Step 1: Install MSYS2

1. Download MSYS2 from: https://www.msys2.org/

   • Click the download button for msys2-x86_64-xxxxxxxx.exe

2. Run the installer:

   • Install to C:\msys64 (default)
   • Keep "Run MSYS2 now" checked
   • Click Finish

3. A terminal window opens. Run these commands:

# Update package database
pacman -Syu

4. The window will close. Open "MSYS2 MINGW64" from Start Menu (NOT the regular MSYS2!)

5. Install the compiler:

pacman -S mingw-w64-x86_64-gcc mingw-w64-x86_64-make

6. Type Y and press Enter when asked

Step 2: Add to PATH

1. Press Win + R, type sysdm.cpl, press Enter

2. Click "Advanced" tab → "Environment Variables"

3. Under "System variables", find "Path", click "Edit"

4. Click "New" and add:

   C:\msys64\mingw64\bin
   

5. Click OK on all windows

6. Restart your computer (important!)

Step 3: Build the Project

1. Open Command Prompt (cmd) or PowerShell

2. Navigate to the project:

   cd C:\path\to\packet_analyzer

3. Build:

   g++ -std=c++17 -O2 -I include -o dpi_engine.exe ^
       src/dpi_mt.cpp ^
       src/pcap_reader.cpp ^
       src/packet_parser.cpp ^
       src/sni_extractor.cpp ^
       src/types.cpp

4. If successful, you'll see dpi_engine.exe

Step 4: Run

dpi_engine.exe test_dpi.pcap output.pcap

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Option 3: Using WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux)

WSL lets you run Linux inside Windows - easiest if you're comfortable with Linux.

Step 1: Install WSL

1. Open PowerShell as Administrator:

   • Press Win, type "PowerShell"
   • Right-click → "Run as administrator"

2. Run:

   wsl --install

3. Restart your computer when prompted

4. After restart, Ubuntu will open automatically

   • Create a username and password when asked

Step 2: Install Build Tools

In the Ubuntu terminal:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y build-essential g++

Step 3: Navigate to Project

Your Windows files are accessible at /mnt/c/:

# If your project is at C:\Users\YourName\Downloads\packet_analyzer
cd /mnt/c/Users/YourName/Downloads/packet_analyzer

Step 4: Build

g++ -std=c++17 -pthread -O2 -I include -o dpi_engine \
    src/dpi_mt.cpp \
    src/pcap_reader.cpp \
    src/packet_parser.cpp \
    src/sni_extractor.cpp \
    src/types.cpp

Step 5: Run

./dpi_engine test_dpi.pcap output.pcap

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Option 4: Using Visual Studio Code

Step 1: Install VS Code

1. Download from: https://code.visualstudio.com/
2. Install with default options

Step 2: Install Extensions

1. Open VS Code
2. Click Extensions icon (left sidebar) or press Ctrl+Shift+X
3. Search and install:
   • C/C++ (by Microsoft)
   • C/C++ Extension Pack (by Microsoft)

Step 3: Install a Compiler

Follow Option 2 above to install MinGW-w64, then continue here.

Step 4: Open the Project

1. File → Open Folder
2. Select the packet_analyzer folder

Step 5: Create Build Task

1. Press Ctrl+Shift+P
2. Type "Tasks: Configure Task" and select it
3. Select "Create tasks.json file from template"
4. Select "Others"
5. Replace content with:

{
    "version": "2.0.0",
    "tasks": [
        {
            "label": "Build DPI Engine",
            "type": "shell",
            "command": "g++",
            "args": [
                "-std=c++17",
                "-O2",
                "-I", "include",
                "-o", "dpi_engine.exe",
                "src/dpi_mt.cpp",
                "src/pcap_reader.cpp",
                "src/packet_parser.cpp",
                "src/sni_extractor.cpp",
                "src/types.cpp"
            ],
            "group": {
                "kind": "build",
                "isDefault": true
            },
            "problemMatcher": ["$gcc"]
        }
    ]
}

6. Save the file

Step 6: Build

Press Ctrl+Shift+B to build

Step 7: Run

Open terminal in VS Code (`Ctrl+``) and run:

.\dpi_engine.exe test_dpi.pcap output.pcap

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Troubleshooting

Error: 'g++' is not recognized

Cause: MinGW not installed or not in PATH

Fix:

1. Make sure you installed MinGW-w64 (Option 2, Step 1)
2. Make sure you added to PATH (Option 2, Step 2)
3. Restart your computer
4. Open NEW terminal and try again

Error: 'cl' is not recognized

Cause: Visual Studio compiler not in PATH

Fix:

1. Open "Developer Command Prompt for VS 2022" (search in Start Menu)
2. Navigate to project folder
3. Run the build command from there

Error: Cannot find include file

Cause: Wrong directory or missing -I flag

Fix: Make sure you're in the packet_analyzer folder:

cd C:\full\path\to\packet_analyzer
dir include

You should see the .h files listed.

Error: undefined reference to std::thread

Cause: Threading library not linked (MinGW)

Fix: Add -pthread flag:

g++ -std=c++17 -pthread -O2 -I include -o dpi_engine.exe ...

Program runs but crashes immediately

Cause: Missing input file

Fix: Make sure test_dpi.pcap exists:

dir test_dpi.pcap

If missing, create it:

python generate_test_pcap.py

(Requires Python installed)

Error: Cannot open output file

Cause: Permission denied or file in use

Fix:

1. Close any program that might have output.pcap open
2. Try a different output filename:

   dpi_engine.exe test_dpi.pcap result.pcap

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Quick Reference

Build Commands Summary

Method	Command
Visual Studio (cl)	cl /EHsc /std:c++17 /O2 /I include /Fe:dpi_engine.exe src\dpi_mt.cpp src\pcap_reader.cpp src\packet_parser.cpp src\sni_extractor.cpp src\types.cpp
MinGW (g++)	g++ -std=c++17 -O2 -I include -o dpi_engine.exe src/dpi_mt.cpp src/pcap_reader.cpp src/packet_parser.cpp src/sni_extractor.cpp src/types.cpp
WSL/Linux	g++ -std=c++17 -pthread -O2 -I include -o dpi_engine src/dpi_mt.cpp src/pcap_reader.cpp src/packet_parser.cpp src/sni_extractor.cpp src/types.cpp

Run Commands

# Basic run
dpi_engine.exe input.pcap output.pcap

# With blocking
dpi_engine.exe input.pcap output.pcap --block-app YouTube --block-ip 192.168.1.50

# Custom thread count
dpi_engine.exe input.pcap output.pcap --lbs 4 --fps 4

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Getting Wireshark Captures

To test with real traffic:

1. Download Wireshark: https://www.wireshark.org/download.html

2. Install and open Wireshark

3. Select your network interface (usually "Wi-Fi" or "Ethernet")

4. Browse some websites for 30 seconds

5. Press the red square to stop capture

6. File → Save As → Choose "Wireshark/tcpdump/... - pcap"

7. Save as my_capture.pcap

8. Run DPI engine on it:

   dpi_engine.exe my_capture.pcap filtered.pcap

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Need Help?

If you're stuck:

1. Make sure you followed EVERY step (don't skip any!)
2. Check the Troubleshooting section above
3. Try WSL (Option 3) - it's the most reliable
4. Google the exact error message

Good luck! 🚀