Networks background traffic between modem and router

Discussion in 'Hardware' started by RTT, 1 Dec 2003.

  1. RTT

    RTT #parp

    Joined:
    12 Mar 2001
    Posts:
    14,120
    Likes Received:
    74
    Kind of a strange question - what would be an 'acceptable' level of background traffic between a modem & router overnight, when none of my machines are using the connection?

    Because at present, my modem is constantly pulling down 7.5k/s of traffic downstream, which is near 15% of my total downstream bandwidth.

    [​IMG]

    (2 -> 9am inparticular)
     
  2. Bluebark

    Bluebark What's a Dremel?

    Joined:
    1 Sep 2003
    Posts:
    628
    Likes Received:
    1
    Are all of you're systems turned off when this is happening?

    Where's the sniffer sitting?
     
  3. Supercool

    Supercool Gone.

    Joined:
    31 May 2003
    Posts:
    873
    Likes Received:
    0
    Mine averages at 5-8Kbytes/s all night when it's idle, I know my servers call home every so often to check the ping times network connectivity from the US to the UK and back again, but that dosen't take a constant 5KBps, I get the odd spike when a s©ript kiddie tries to DoS me but thats only occasionally :)
     
  4. RTT

    RTT #parp

    Joined:
    12 Mar 2001
    Posts:
    14,120
    Likes Received:
    74
    i'm monitoring this from my slackware box, but I know this bandwidth isn't due to the monitoring (the monitoring transfers about 180bytes of traffic each 5 mins) as the graph i posted up there is strictly between the router and the modem, and isn't being passed onto other machines.

    I'm sure it's no problem, but a lot more than I expected :)
     
  5. NuTech

    NuTech Minimodder

    Joined:
    18 Mar 2002
    Posts:
    2,222
    Likes Received:
    96
    Slightly off topic, but how do you monitor traffic between a modem and a router (specifically the router's WAN port)?

    My modem is an ethernet modem plugged directly into the WAN port of my Buffalo Airstation router.

    Cheers.
     
  6. ChriX

    ChriX ^

    Joined:
    30 Aug 2001
    Posts:
    2,650
    Likes Received:
    4
    Rich, mine does that 24/7, really screws up my pings. Run tcpdump on your slackware box and see whats going on, look at my thread to see if it's the same...
     
  7. ChriX

    ChriX ^

    Joined:
    30 Aug 2001
    Posts:
    2,650
    Likes Received:
    4
  8. RTT

    RTT #parp

    Joined:
    12 Mar 2001
    Posts:
    14,120
    Likes Received:
    74
    mrtg

    chrix - its a netgear router, not a linux/pc acting as a router, so the possibility of actually finding out what the traffic is, is 0 :)
     
  9. Bluebark

    Bluebark What's a Dremel?

    Joined:
    1 Sep 2003
    Posts:
    628
    Likes Received:
    1
    Do you have access to a sniffer that you can drop between the router and modem?
     
  10. RTT

    RTT #parp

    Joined:
    12 Mar 2001
    Posts:
    14,120
    Likes Received:
    74
    Unfortunately not, though i have decided that i'm going to properly secure my linux box (its only secure at the moment for LAN use, not 'open internet' use) and plug it into my modem overnight sometime...
     
  11. Bluebark

    Bluebark What's a Dremel?

    Joined:
    1 Sep 2003
    Posts:
    628
    Likes Received:
    1
    So you're going to put the L box in place of the router? Or are you going to setup the L box as a sniffer between the modem and the router using anothe nick?
     
  12. ChriX

    ChriX ^

    Joined:
    30 Aug 2001
    Posts:
    2,650
    Likes Received:
    4
    Rich, you're monitoring the interface on your Linux box with mrtg though arent you? tcpdump shows everything going through that interface so it should show it...
     
Tags:

Share This Page