MDP™ — Metadata Parser
Index Once. Analyze Smarter.
Turn massive packet recordings into searchable metadata and an AI/ML-ready data foundation.
- Scan
- Parse
- Index
- Correlate
MDP scans recorded capture files, reads packet attributes and configured metadata fields, associates metadata with packet and file locations, and connects indexed information with timestamps, sessions, runs, and available event context. Animation is illustrative.
Enormous Volumes of Network Data
High-speed recording preserves enormous volumes of network data.
Location-Aware Metadata Indexes
MDP™ transforms recorded packets into structured, location-aware metadata indexes, making large datasets easier to access and analyze throughout the nStudio™ ecosystem.
Searchable Metadata Foundation
The result: a searchable metadata foundation for downstream navigation, retrieval, and analysis.
Finding a Needle in a Haystack
A single capture can contain millions of packets. Across thousands of files and long-duration recordings, locating one packet or event of interest can feel like finding a needle in a haystack.
MDP changes that. It builds an index of packet locations, timestamps, and selected metadata so applications can target relevant data without repeatedly scanning complete recordings.
Index once. Access intelligently.
From Raw Packets to Searchable Intelligence
MDP works behind the scenes to turn captured network data into a structured index while leaving the original packet recording intact.
Scan → Parse → Index → Correlate
Scan
Identify recorded capture files across configured storage.
Parse
Read packet attributes and configured metadata fields.
Index
Associate metadata with packet and file locations in the original recording.
Correlate
Connect indexed information with timestamps, sessions, runs, and available event context.
The result: a searchable metadata foundation for downstream navigation, retrieval, and analysis.
From Recording Session to Packet
MDP connects large, multi-file recording sessions to indexed packet information. This diagram illustrates the relationship between capture files, packet descriptors, and the searchable index.
Scroll horizontally to view the full diagram.
This is for demonstration purposes only.
Built for Scale. Ready for Intelligence.
MDP is designed for large capture files, multi-file recording sessions, and high-capacity storage environments where repeatedly reading raw packet data is impractical.
Packet-Level Precision
Associate indexed attributes with locations in the original recordings.
Large-Scale Processing
Support extensive recording datasets and sequential or batch indexing.
Faster Data Access
Reduce repeated full-file scans during downstream discovery and analysis.
AI/ML-Ready Metadata Foundation
Organize packet information for targeted retrieval and downstream AI/ML preparation; labeling and training-data preparation remain separate steps.
MDP-Generated Packet Index
The example below shows how packet positions and selected fields can be represented in an MDP index. Actual supported fields depend on the recorder, file format, and MDP configuration.
Scroll horizontally within diagrams and tables to see all details.
Header_Version,1.0 Packet_Descriptor,NT Extended Duration,1.298880 Num_of_Packets,15389808
| Packet_Number | Timestamp | Packet_Descriptor_ | Payload_Offset | USF1 | USF2 | USFNN = field number | Protocol | Source_IP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 25EB965BFDBDD70 | 80 | D2 | E4 | 01 | 0001 | 11 | E9EC0744 |
| 2 | 25EB965BFDBDD78 | 4A8 | FA | E5 | 02 | 0002 | 11 | EAEC0744 |
| 3 | 25EB965BFDBDD81 | 8D0 | 22 | E6 | 01 | 0003 | 11 | EBEC0744 |
| 4 | 25EB965BFDBDD89 | CF8 | 4A | E7 | 03 | 0004 | 11 | EC7C0744 |
| 5 | 25EB965BFDBDD92 | 1120 | 1172 | E8 | 02 | 0005 | 11 | EDEC0744 |
Packet Index
Sequential packet number (hex).
Packet Address
File offset of the packet descriptor (hex).
From USF1 to USFN
User-specified data fields extracted from the payload. Additional user fields can be added on.
Protocol
Protocol identifier; 0x11 = UDP in this example.
Source IP
Source IP address, shown in hexadecimal.
This is for demonstration purposes only.
From Indexed Data to Intelligent Discovery
MDP provides the metadata foundation for nDiscovery™ packet navigation and for potential integration with the planned standalone nQuery™ LLM/RAG application. The vision is to let users ask natural-language questions about recorded data and retrieve relevant results through an indexed retrieval layer, rather than have an LLM process entire raw recordings.
nQuery is under development. Its LLM/RAG-based, natural-language exploration and any integration with MDP indexes must not be described as shipping MDP functionality.
Technical Highlights
| Capability | Description |
|---|---|
| Primary function | Packet metadata extraction and location-aware indexing |
| Input | Recorded PCAP and supported packet capture files |
| Metadata | Packet location, timestamp, protocol and configured fields |
| Processing modes | Sequential during scanning; batch after scanning |
| Data scope | Large capture files, sessions and recording collections |
| Output | Metadata and index files for downstream nStudio applications |
| Deployment | Optional module for supported Daqscribe platforms |
Capture. Preserve. Analyze. Reuse.
MDP strengthens the Analyze stage of nStudio by making preserved recordings accessible through packet-level indexing. nStudio connects high-speed capture, persistent storage, intelligent analysis, and data reuse.
Index Once. Analyze Smarter.
Turn massive recordings into structured, accessible metadata supporting analytics and downstream AI/ML data preparation.
Integration with nStudio.
nStudio™ Software Ecosystem: Capture. Preserve. Analyze. Reuse.
- nRec™
- High-speed Layer 2 Ethernet capture and recording
- nPlay™
- Timing-preserving Ethernet replay with original or user-defined playback speed
- pFilter™
- Inline packet filtering, classification, channelization, and optional slicing
- nRemote™
- External command, status, and operational automation
- nXplorer™
- Developer-oriented monitoring, generation, capture, and replay utilities
- MDP™
- Packet metadata intelligence and indexing for large recorded datasets
- nDiscovery™
- Recording discovery, navigation, management, and analytics preparation
Ordering information.
- nStudio Software Suite
- Integrated software environment supporting recording, discovery, management, analysis, and replay workflows.
- Evaluation & integration
- Contact Daqscribe to confirm platform compatibility, licensing, and deployment requirements.
- Support & maintenance
- Software updates, technical support, and maintenance options are available by quotation.
Build the nStudio Environment That Fits Your Mission
Choose the capabilities your team needs today and extend the same Daqscribe ecosystem as your needs for replay, intelligent data discovery, remote automation, and AI-ready data preparation evolve.Capture. Preserve. Analyze. Reuse. Channelize traffic at the source, find the data that matters, and expand toward AI-assisted exploration.
Not a pricing question? Contact us for general inquiries, or reach the support portal if you already own the hardware.
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