what is a Network Protocol Test Engineer ?

ChatGPT said:
A Network Protocol Test Engineer is a specialized professional who focuses on
testing and validating network protocols to ensure they work correctly,
efficiently, and securely within networked systems and devices.

What They Do:

Design and execute tests on network protocols such as TCP/IP, HTTP, FTP, SIP, MQTT,
or proprietary protocols.

Validate protocol compliance against standards and specifications (e.g., RFCs).

Identify bugs, interoperability issues, and performance bottlenecks in protocol

implementations.

Use various testing tools and software (like Wireshark, protocol simulators, packet
sniffers, and automated testing frameworks).

Collaborate with developers to help debug and improve protocol implementations.

Work on protocol conformance, regression, functional, performance, and security

testing.

Sometimes involved in creating automated test scripts or frameworks for protocol

testing.

Skills and Knowledge Areas:

Strong understanding of network protocols and how they operate.

Knowledge of networking concepts (OSI model, TCP/IP stack, routing, switching).

Experience with testing methodologies and tools.

Familiarity with programming or scripting languages (Python, TCL, Perl, etc.) for
automation.

Analytical and problem-solving skills to diagnose complex network issues.

Where They Work:

Networking hardware companies (routers, switches, modems).

Telecom companies.

Software companies developing networked applications or protocol stacks.

IoT device manufacturers.

Companies focused on security or network performance.

If you want, I can give you a deeper dive into the daily tasks, required skills, or
career path of a Network Protocol Test Engineer. Would you like that?

You said:
How does a script looks like for a Network Protocol Test Engineer

ChatGPT said:
Great question! The script a Network Protocol Test Engineer writes usually
automates sending, receiving, and validating network protocol messages to check if
a device or software behaves correctly.

Here’s a simple example script in Python using the Scapy library, which is popular
for crafting and analyzing network packets. This script tests if a server responds
correctly to a TCP SYN packet (a basic part of establishing a TCP connection):

python
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from scapy.all import *

def test_tcp_syn_response(target_ip, target_port):

# Craft a TCP SYN packet to initiate connection
ip = IP(dst=target_ip)
tcp = TCP(dport=target_port, flags='S') # SYN flag set

packet = ip / tcp

print(f"Sending TCP SYN to {target_ip}:{target_port}...")

response = sr1(packet, timeout=2, verbose=0)

if response:
if response.haslayer(TCP) and response.getlayer(TCP).flags == 0x12:
# 0x12 = SYN+ACK flags, means server responded correctly to SYN
print("Received SYN+ACK, server responded correctly!")
else:
print("Received unexpected TCP flags:", response.getlayer(TCP).flags)
else:
print("No response received from server.")

if __name__ == "__main__":
test_tcp_syn_response("192.168.1.1", 80)
What’s going on here?
The script sends a TCP SYN packet to initiate a connection to a target IP and port.

It waits for a response.

If it receives a SYN+ACK (flags 0x12), that means the server responded correctly.

Otherwise, it reports what it got or that no response came back.

Real-world scripts can be:

Far more complex, handling full protocol conversations.

Testing custom protocol messages.

Validating message contents, error handling, or performance metrics.

Automated as part of CI/CD pipelines.

If you want, I can show you an example script for another protocol or with more
automation and validation! Would you like that?

You said:
how to create a begineer to advance Python script as a Network Protocol Test
Engineer

ChatGPT said:
Awesome! Creating Python scripts for network protocol testing can start simple and
get pretty advanced as you add features like automation, complex packet crafting,
validation, logging, and integration with testing frameworks.

Here’s a step-by-step path to create Python scripts from beginner to advanced for a
Network Protocol Test Engineer:

Beginner Level: Basic Packet Send & Receive (using Scapy)

Goal: Understand how to send and receive packets, inspect responses.

python
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from scapy.all import *

def basic_ping(target_ip):
# Send ICMP Echo Request (ping)
packet = IP(dst=target_ip) / ICMP()
response = sr1(packet, timeout=2, verbose=0)

if response:
print(f"Ping to {target_ip} successful, time={response.time -
packet.sent_time}s")
else:
print(f"No response from {target_ip}")

if __name__ == "__main__":
basic_ping("8.8.8.8")
Intermediate Level: TCP Handshake & Validation
Goal: Send TCP SYN, check SYN+ACK, handle timeout, log results.

python
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from scapy.all import *
import logging

logging.basicConfig(filename='tcp_test.log', level=logging.INFO)

def test_tcp_syn(target_ip, target_port):

ip = IP(dst=target_ip)
tcp = TCP(dport=target_port, flags='S')
packet = ip / tcp
response = sr1(packet, timeout=3, verbose=0)

if response and response.haslayer(TCP):

if response[TCP].flags == 0x12:
logging.info(f"TCP SYN+ACK received from {target_ip}:{target_port}")
print("Success: SYN+ACK received")
else:
logging.warning(f"Unexpected TCP flags: {response[TCP].flags}")
print(f"Unexpected TCP flags: {response[TCP].flags}")
else:
logging.error(f"No response from {target_ip}:{target_port}")
print("No response received")
if __name__ == "__main__":
test_tcp_syn("192.168.1.1", 80)
Advanced Level: Full Protocol Interaction with Automation & Reporting
Goal: Automate multiple test cases, validate protocol fields, generate detailed
reports.

Features:
Multiple target IPs and ports from config

Validation of protocol fields (e.g., flags, options)

Retry logic

CSV report output

Command-line arguments to control test parameters

python
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import csv
import argparse
from scapy.all import *

def test_tcp_syn(ip, port, retries=3):

ip_layer = IP(dst=ip)
tcp_layer = TCP(dport=port, flags='S')
packet = ip_layer / tcp_layer

for attempt in range(1, retries + 1):

response = sr1(packet, timeout=2, verbose=0)
if response and response.haslayer(TCP):
if response[TCP].flags == 0x12:
return True, f"SYN+ACK received on attempt {attempt}"
else:
return False, f"Unexpected TCP flags: {response[TCP].flags}"
else:
print(f"Attempt {attempt}: No response")
return False, "No response after retries"

def main(targets, retries):

results = []
for ip, port in targets:
success, message = test_tcp_syn(ip, port, retries)
print(f"{ip}:{port} -> {message}")
results.append([ip, port, success, message])

with open('tcp_test_report.csv', 'w', newline='') as f:

writer = csv.writer(f)
writer.writerow(['IP', 'Port', 'Success', 'Message'])
writer.writerows(results)
print("Test report saved to tcp_test_report.csv")

if __name__ == "__main__":
parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(description="TCP SYN Test Tool")
parser.add_argument("--targets", nargs="+", required=True,
help="List of target IP:Port (e.g. 192.168.1.1:80
10.0.0.1:22)")
parser.add_argument("--retries", type=int, default=3, help="Number of retries
per test")
args = parser.parse_args()

targets = []
for target in args.targets:
ip, port = target.split(":")
targets.append((ip, int(port)))

main(targets, args.retries)
How To Progress:
Learn Scapy deeply for packet crafting and sniffing.

Add more protocol layers (DNS, HTTP, SIP, MQTT, etc.).

Integrate with pytest or unittest for automated test suites.

Use logging frameworks and generate detailed test reports.

Add concurrency (asyncio or threading) to run many tests simultaneously.

Add security testing: fuzzing packets, injecting malformed packets.

Automate tests in CI/CD pipelines with tools like Jenkins or GitHub Actions.

Would you like me to walk you through how to install and set up Scapy, or help
build a custom script for a specific protocol?
how to learn Scapy, install and set up Scapy, or help build a custom script for a
specific protocol?

ChatGPT said:
Great! Scapy is a fantastic Python library for network packet manipulation, which
is incredibly useful for a Network Protocol Test Engineer. Let me guide you
through:

1. How to Learn Scapy

What to Focus on:
Basics of sending and receiving packets.

Crafting packets at different protocol layers (IP, TCP, UDP, ICMP).

Sniffing and parsing packets.

Manipulating packet fields.

Using Scapy for protocol-specific tests.

Automating tests with Scapy.

Recommended Resources:
Official Scapy Documentation

Tutorials on YouTube (search “Scapy tutorial”)

Practice with simple ping, TCP handshake, HTTP requests.

2. How to Install and Set Up Scapy

Step 1: Install Python
Make sure you have Python installed (3.6 or above recommended). You can check with:
bash
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python3 --version
If you don’t have it, download from python.org.

Step 2: Install Scapy

Open your terminal (Command Prompt, PowerShell, Terminal, etc.) and run:

bash
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pip install scapy
If you want extra features like sniffing live packets, install:

bash
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pip install scapy[complete]
Step 3: Verify Installation
Run Python and try importing Scapy:

bash
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python3
>>> from scapy.all import *
>>> sr1(IP(dst="8.8.8.8")/ICMP())
If it returns a packet response, Scapy is installed and working.

3. Build a Custom Script for a Specific Protocol

Say you want to test HTTP GET request over TCP using Scapy (basic):

python
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from scapy.all import *

def http_get_test(target_ip, target_port=80):

ip = IP(dst=target_ip)
tcp = TCP(dport=target_port, flags='S') # SYN
syn_ack = sr1(ip/tcp, timeout=2)

if syn_ack and syn_ack.haslayer(TCP) and syn_ack[TCP].flags == 0x12:

# Send ACK to complete handshake
ack = TCP(dport=target_port, sport=syn_ack[TCP].dport,
seq=syn_ack.ack, ack=syn_ack.seq + 1, flags='A')
send(ip/ack)

# Craft HTTP GET request

http_payload = "GET / HTTP/1.1\r\nHost: {}\r\n\r\n".format(target_ip)
psh = TCP(dport=target_port, sport=syn_ack[TCP].dport,
seq=ack.seq, ack=ack.ack, flags='PA')
response = sr1(ip/psh/http_payload, timeout=3)

if response and response.haslayer(Raw):

print("HTTP Response:")
print(response[Raw].load.decode(errors='ignore'))
else:
 print("No HTTP response received")
else:
print("No SYN+ACK received, TCP handshake failed")

if __name__ == "__main__":
http_get_test("example.com")
Explanation:
Performs a TCP handshake manually.

Sends a basic HTTP GET request.

Waits for and prints the HTTP response.

Would you like me to help you build a script for a different protocol or explain
any part in more detail?