Whats my NIC upto?

[Fizzycapola]

It's just been sitting looking at badcaps forum idle. It did this the other day too with google search sitting idle. Software firewall is allowing only System, Genenric Host Process and FireFox3.0.3 on Port 80.

This is the native NIC (Atheros) on the P5Q. Through my laptop and other computers it looks normal, only a few thousand packets.

[bgavin]

Re: Whats my NIC upto?

This is a huge annoyance for me, also.

A virgin installation of WinXP is constantly accessing the internet. I assume it is calling home for something or other. The activity never stops. Considering the vast number of Windows computers, this alone must constitute a horrendous amount of bandwidth consumption just on the Microsoft subnets.

Why?

[zandrax]

Re: Whats my NIC upto?

@ Fizzy: those aren't packets but bytes so it's normal to see millions if not billions of bytes (compared to thousands to millions of packets: an ethernet packet ranges from a few bytes to 9000 [Jumbo frame] with 1500 bytes being the most common dimension). If your pc is connected to a lan while idling, you should consider all periodic and occasional exchanges among computers: Windows sharing (in a workgroup all computers broadcast their IPs and available resources about every 11 minutes, then await for replies), ICMP packets from the router or server (my Netgear router pings all computers on the lan about once a minute), DHCP renewal (usually once a day) and others. There is Windows related traffic too: calls to Windows Update, to Certificate Renewal list site and a few others.
To discover them install a packet sniffer such as Wireshark (previously known as Ethereal) on your machine and log all connections.

Zandrax

[Fizzycapola]

Re: Whats my NIC upto?

Zandrax, you're missing the point, you've started by jumping on my meaningless error - packet/byte it makes no difference with regard to the concern.

Thats way too much activity for an idle computer with firewall only allowing the said activities. For example my laptop reads after 55 minutes: sent: 3,147 received 3,710. And my other computers read similar with Intel NIC's.

I say it's a conspiracy lol.

[Harvey]

Re: Whats my NIC upto?

Maybe you have a virus.

[Fizzycapola]

Re: Whats my NIC upto?

Thanks for your suggestion Harvey. I'll have to check that one.

[PCBONEZ]

Re: Whats my NIC upto?

I think your PC is just lonely and it's checking out all the cute little SFF's on the PC personals sites.

[JEWilson]

Re: Whats my NIC upto?

If no virus or malware

Most likely be a default XP service such as SMB peer arbitration.
You will be set up in workgroup most likely.

On Win2k is the computer browser service
If you have no browse master set up or, if you have a PC set up
as a backup browser, there may exist a conflict.
In this instance, the computer will try to arbitrate as to who
will be browse master.

This is more readily explained below;

see further (Win2K)
http://www.tech-archive.net/Archive/...4-10/1384.html
as well as
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/188001

Alternatively, you may care to look into DHCP leasing and renewals

Yet again, it may be a routing issue, a broadcast is occuring to locate
you on the subnet.

HTH

[zandrax]

Re: Whats my NIC upto?

@ Fizzy: I support Harvey and JE: check for malware and for Windows services and/or drivers.
Generic Host Process is svchost.exe, Windows' service loader: allowing it means allowing all services which rely on it such as NetBIOS Helper, Workstation, Server, RPC service and others. My point is still valid: install a packet sniffer and check the traffic.

Zandrax