Ethernet blinking while off?

[Nookai]

Hiya,

I noticed that my WDTV Live (current version)  has network activity, though it is off (resp. in standby) and nobody is accesing it. HDs are down.

Why is this so? What is happening there?

Cheers!

[TonyPh12345]

It's normal.  Even if there's nothing directly accessing the WDTV, there are still devices on your network that periodically send "broadcast" packets, which are packets that go to every device on the network.

[sssstew]

Yes i too have notice this large amount of network traffic, did a test and unplugged the WDTV and turned it off and the network activity stopped on my router and NAS link lights.  Im going to keep an eye on this as initially it looks like the WDTV SMP wiith the latest FW is creating some broadcast storm maybe.....

[TonyPh12345]

No, it's not a broadcast storm.   It's just broadcasts.

It's looking for DLNA servers, it's looking for Bonjour servers, etc. etc.

It's also transmitting DLNA discovery and registration, it's broadcasting its MS Browser data, etc. etc.

It's normal.  Don't panic.

[Nookai]

Tony,

thanks for you answers. In your 1st reply, you wrote that other devices in my network send boradcasts and the WDTV is blinking, because it RECEIVES them. Now you wrote, the WDTV is SENDing them by itself.

I guess a braodcast is one litte tiny package, which is sent every couple of minutes or seconds but not like 2 or 3 times per sec.? The WDTV though is blinking constantly and irregularly, seveal times per sec.,  just like real traffic is going through the interface. Thats what also you describe, sssstew, right? 

Interesting is also that the blinking STOPS, the moment the WDTV is activated/switched on.

Is there some option/menue to see and configure what it does while idle?

 

[TonyPh12345]

*ALL* network devices send periodic broadcasts.  

Is your WD configured to do Rescans / Get Content Info when it's in Standby?