Pktgen won't run in background

[racompton]

I need to run pktgen in the background without displaying the CLI. I want to execute pktgen on numerous servers at once from a centralized controller. It doesn't seem to work if I add > /dev/null 2>&1 & at the end of the pktgen command.

[KeithWiles]

The -G or -g host:port options was how I was handling running Pktgen in background without the CLI and waiting for Lua scripts. Look at the README file or use pktgen --help

[racompton]

Thanks for the reply. I am able to use the -G or -g options to run pktgen in the background but I don't understand what Lua script to send to the pktgen daemon to start the replay of a packet capture using a command file. Any help you can provide?

The command that I'm using the execute the pcap playback is:
pktgen -- -T -P -m "2.[0]" -m "2.[1]" -s 0:ACK-Flood-spoofed.pcap -s 1:ACK-Flood-spoofed.pcap -f start-2-pcap.pkt

The file start-2-pcap.pkt contains the following:

enable 0 pcap
set 0 rate 100
start 0
enable 1 pcap
set 1 rate 100
start 1

[KeithWiles]

You are using standard CLI commands and not Lua. To enable pktgen to be built with Lua you must install Lua from Lua.org or via you package manager for your Linux. To build pktgen with Lua support the command is make buildlua If you look at the README file and search for socat I show some examples. The CLI commands you are using will not work with the -G or -g option. The test and script directories have a few Lua script files.

[racompton]

Thanks again for the quick reply. I now have Lua support complied. Can the packet capture file be dynamically updated via Lua? I want to be able to run pktgen in the background and dynamically specify different packet capture files to be replayed and change their rates without having to manually restart pktgen.

[KeithWiles]

sorry, currently that can not be done.

[racompton]

Feature request? 🙏

[KeithWiles]

I do not know when I will be able to add this feature, so it could be a while, but you are welcome to create a PR and add the feature yourself.