XP Keeps Sending Bytes to Linux

[Jo.Mo.]

Does anyone know of a reason why windows XP would keep sending bytes of information to my linux machine? I'll just get on my computer and notice on my network monitor it'll keep flashing small spikes of 1.52 bytes coming in, and when i check my switch it's windows XP. after i unplug it and replug it, it does the broadcast and it doesn't send anymore, but after awhile it'll start up again. it's odd because it doesn't do it to my sister's Windows 98 computer, just linux. any ideas?

[mart_man00]

windows has a couples of "features" that want to connect to a microsoft site. it built in. with norton or zone alarm you can see what asks for internet, even explorer.

[bwkaz]

Also, Windows file sharing (the SMB protocol) resoves names by doing massive network broadcasts. It basically asks "who on this network is named 'yyy'?" (the broadcast), and it assumes it'll only get a response from one machine (the one named yyy).

And it uses broadcast traffic for more than that, too. SMB has this wonderful little "browse master" machine, that keeps track of what machines are on, and what ones are responding to SMB. Which isn't all bad (it does cut down a bit on the broadcast traffic). However, the way that the protocol decies which machine is the browse master is, you guessed it, with broadcast traffic. There is also a bunch of traffic generated when the browse master changes from one machine to another.

So it could be that someone on the XP machine is opening network neighborhood (or whatever it's called now), and XP is trying to resolve (or fetch) all the hostnames. Or, it might be that XP and your Linux box are fighting over which one should be the browse master. Or your Linux box might be the browse master, and XP is trying to find out who's on the network. Or something like that.

Neither of these machines are a gateway to the Internet, are they? Is the Linux box running Samba?

You might want to check the event log on the XP machine, too. There are a couple of hotfixes that were distributed recently that fix problems with browse master behavior.

[Jo.Mo.]

I'm running samba, yes. this isn't really a problem, it just bugs me to watch it flicker. I doubt anyone from the upstairs computer is accessing network neighborhood, it's my mom's computer (or else it wouldn't be running windows), I'll try and see if i can find anything on XP to fix the problem, but if i have to run too many "Setup Network Wizards" i'm just gonna forget it.

[andysimmons]

How do each of the computers connect to the internet?