Open-source passive DDS recording
Record what happened without joining the DDS domain.
Reconstruct DDS communication from PCAP or PCAPNG captures, preserving the system you need to understand without adding participants, endpoints or discovery traffic.
No participant, reader or writer added.
Use standard network capture workflows.
Compatible with Record & Replay and Monitor.
Network snifferWireshark · tcpdump · tshark
Non-Intrusive DDS RecorderOffline reconstructionOPEN SOURCE Specialized passive recording from the team behind Fast DDS.
Available under Apache 2.0, with professional engineering support from eProsima when required.
Why passive capture
Observe the system without becoming part of it.
Adding a DDS participant starts discovery, endpoint matching and additional processing. Passive capture keeps that observer effect out of the deployment you are investigating.
No discovery perturbation
The recorder does not announce itself or trigger discovery exchanges in the DDS domain.
No extra matching work
Applications do not create new matches or send samples to an additional reader created for recording.
Preserve the observed timing
Keep the recording path outside the DDS system when timing and resource behavior are part of the evidence.
Core capabilities
From raw packets to DDS engineering context.
Follow the evidence from the capture file through endpoint discovery, type resolution and queryable application data.
Observe the wire, not the DDS domain
Process traffic captured by Wireshark, tcpdump, tshark or a mirror port. The recorder never creates a participant, reader or writer in the system under observation.
- PCAP and PCAPNG input
- No discovery traffic introduced
- No additional matched endpoints
Turn RTPS packets back into DDS context
Decode RTPS discovery traffic to identify DataWriters, DataReaders, topics and available type information, then associate user samples with the right DDS context.
- SEDP endpoint discovery
- Topic and endpoint inventory
- TypeCode or optional IDL resolution
Keep engineering evidence in compatible formats
Generate SQLite or MCAP evidence. Both formats are compatible with DDS Record & Replay and DDS Monitor, while SQLite also supports direct queries and analysis.
- SQLite discovery and per-topic tables
- SQLite and MCAP tool compatibility
- Human-readable IDL
- CSV export and SQL analysis
Move from packets to system answers
Investigate publication periods, duplicate transmissions, source grouping, discovery behavior and application data without recreating the original deployment.
- Timing and period analysis
- Publisher and source grouping
- Interoperability investigation
A passive evidence workflow
Capture externally. Reconstruct offline. Choose the evidence format.
Use familiar network tooling at the deployment, then generate SQLite or MCAP evidence compatible with DDS Record & Replay and DDS Monitor.
Capture
Collect the complete visible traffic, including discovery, with a standard sniffer or mirror port.
Reconstruct
Decode RTPS and rebuild the endpoint, topic, type and sample context from the capture.
Use the evidence
Open either SQLite or MCAP in DDS Record & Replay and DDS Monitor. Use SQLite directly when SQL analysis is also required.
Engineering use cases
Keep the evidence from the system that actually failed.
Passive recording is most valuable when reproducing the deployment or adding an observer would change the behavior you need to understand.
Preserve production evidence
Record visible DDS traffic from a mirror or debug port without introducing another participant into a timing-sensitive deployment.
Investigate intermittent failures
Keep the network trace from a rare event and reconstruct topics, endpoints, types and samples later in the engineering environment.
Diagnose interoperability
Inspect discovery and user-data exchanges when DDS implementations or configurations do not behave as expected together.
Build test evidence
Retain a queryable record of communication behavior for validation reports, regression analysis and technical reviews.
Connected evidence workflow
One passive capture. Two compatible outputs.
Generate either SQLite or MCAP. Both files work with DDS Record & Replay and DDS Monitor; SQLite additionally supports direct SQL analysis.
Reconstructed
captureChoose the recording path
Passive evidence or DDS-native capture and replay?
Use Non-Intrusive DDS Recorder when the observer must stay outside the DDS domain. Use DDS Record & Replay when you need live discovery, direct recording and controlled playback.
Capability | Open source Non-Intrusive DDS Recorder | Open source DDS Record & Replay |
|---|---|---|
Connection to the system | Passive network capture | Joins the DDS domain |
Input | PCAP / PCAPNG | Live DDS traffic |
Output format | SQLite / MCAP | SQLite / MCAP |
Controlled DDS replay | Not included | Included |
Best fit | Zero DDS observer effect | Repeatable capture and replay |
Technical resources
Plan the capture before the incident happens.
The quality of passive reconstruction depends on capturing the right traffic, including discovery. Use the documentation to prepare the observation point and analysis workflow.
Product documentation
Understand supported traffic, recorder operation and the generated SQLite and MCAP outputs.
Capture guidance
Prepare Wireshark, tcpdump, tshark or a mirror port to retain discovery and user traffic.
Evidence outputs
Use both SQLite and MCAP with DDS Record & Replay and DDS Monitor, and query SQLite directly for additional analysis.
Architecture first
Capture the evidence without changing the system.
Tell us what must be observed, where the traffic can be mirrored and how the resulting evidence will support your investigation or validation process.
Capture-point and network visibility review.
Protocol, type and storage requirements.
SQLite and MCAP evidence workflows.
Open-source adoption and engineering support.
