How-to: Configuring OS vs. Native Mode on Napatech NICs

When using the Napatech network cards, you may want to switch between OS mode (which allows you to interface with the device using standard linux tools), and Native mode (which is designed to support continuous and high data rate captures). This how-to guide explains the configuration necessary to operate in these different modes. This is accomplished by swapping the configuration file located in the following directory:

$ /opt/napatech3/config/ntservice.ini

1. Configuring OS Mode

To configure OS mode on the network card, copy of the osmode version configuration file to the configuration file directory and enable the napatech services using the following commands:

sudo -i
cp /opt/napatech3/config/ntservice-osmode.ini /opt/napatech3/config/ntservice.ini
systemctl enable napatech-adapter@0
systemctl enable napatech-adapter@1
systemctl enable napatech-adapter@2
systemctl enable napatech-adapter@3

Then, reboot your computer.

2. Configuring Native Mode

For maximum capture bandwidth, you’ll want to configure the network card to native mode. This is done by copying the native mode version configuration file to the configuration file directory and disabling the napatech services using the following commands:

sudo -i
cp /opt/napatech3/config/ntservice-native.ini /opt/napatech3/config/ntservice.ini
systemctl disable napatech-adapter@0
systemctl disable napatech-adapter@1
systemctl disable napatech-adapter@2
systemctl disable napatech-adapter@3

Then, reboot your computer.