I just upgraded a home machine running
MS Win2K ver 5.0 (build 2195: SP 4)
from an older free ZoneAlarm (
to
free ZoneAlarm Ver 7.0.408.000
TV security engine ver 7.0.408.000
Driver ver 7.0.408.000
(http://www.zonealarm.com/store/content/catalog/products/sku_list_za.jsp?dc=12bms&ctry=US&lang=en)

The upgrade was an upgrade not a clean install.

ISSUE:
The ZoneAlarm tray icon & zonealarm window both show LOTS of IN/Green internet activity
even when LAN tray icon shows no activity & LAN window's "Received Packets" is NOT changing.

Like most folks, there are lots of apps running. While I have not tried every permutation of loaded/stopped apps, the incoming internet activity that ZoneAlarm is reporting appears to stop/start with BOINC Ver 5.10.28 (http://boinc.berkeley.edu/) EVEN when BOINC is loaded but suspended (not doing any number crunching).

I did just update both ZoneAlarm and BOINC (from 5.10.10?). I don't see the older BOINC 5.10.xx versions on the main download page.

I never saw this 'false incoming internet access' issue before upgrading both apps.

I've posted this on ZoneAlarm forums also.

Has anybody seen anything like this before: ZoneAlarm reporting/showing incomming internet traffic but LAN received packets not increasing?

Is BOINC trying to receive? something even while suspended?

Below is BOINC messages log:
11/7/2007 1:14:24 PM||Starting BOINC client version 5.10.28 for windows_intelx86
11/7/2007 1:14:24 PM||log flags: task, file_xfer, sched_ops
11/7/2007 1:14:24 PM||Libraries: libcurl/7.17.0 OpenSSL/0.9.8e zlib/1.2.3
11/7/2007 1:14:24 PM||Data directory: C:Program FilesBOINC
11/7/2007 1:14:24 PM||Processor: 1 GenuineIntel Intel(R) Pentium(R) M processor 1400MHz [x86 Family 6 Model 9 Stepping 5]
11/7/2007 1:14:24 PM||Processor features: fpu tsc sse mmx
11/7/2007 1:14:24 PM||OS: Microsoft Windows 2000: Professional Edition, Service Pack 4, (05.00.2195.00)
11/7/2007 1:14:24 PM||Memory: 766.98 MB physical, 1.08 GB virtual
11/7/2007 1:14:24 PM||Disk: 37.25 GB total, 4.81 GB free
11/7/2007 1:14:24 PM||Local time is UTC -8 hours
11/7/2007 1:14:24 PM|superlinkattechnion|URL: http://cbl-link02.cs.technion.ac.il/superlinkattechnion/; Computer ID: 2273; location: (none); project prefs: default
11/7/2007 1:14:24 PM|Einstein@Home|URL: http://einstein.phys.uwm.edu/; Computer ID: 840419; location: home; project prefs: default
11/7/2007 1:14:24 PM|Predictor @ Home|URL: http://predictor.scripps.edu/; Computer ID: 329463; location: home; project prefs: default
11/7/2007 1:14:24 PM|SETI@home|URL: http://setiathome.berkeley.edu/; Computer ID: 3030694; location: school; project prefs: default
11/7/2007 1:14:24 PM|uFluids|URL: http://www.ufluids.net/; Computer ID: 57151; location: (none); project prefs: default
11/7/2007 1:14:24 PM|World Community Grid|URL: http://www.worldcommunitygrid.org/; Computer ID: 266233; location: (none); project prefs: default
11/7/2007 1:14:24 PM||General prefs: from Einstein@Home (last modified 04-Nov-2007 05:02:07)
11/7/2007 1:14:24 PM||Host location: home
11/7/2007 1:14:24 PM||General prefs: using separate prefs for home
11/7/2007 1:14:24 PM||Reading preferences override file
11/7/2007 1:14:24 PM||Preferences limit memory usage when active to 306.79MB
11/7/2007 1:14:24 PM||Preferences limit memory usage when idle to 690.29MB
11/7/2007 1:14:24 PM||Preferences limit disk usage to 4.80GB


I didn't see a 'suspended - user is active' message even though no number crunching was taking place. I manually changed 'Activity' to 'Run Always' which started the number crunching:
11/7/2007 1:16:47 PM|SETI@home|Restarting task 14fe07ad.31552.11115.3.6.200_0 using setiathome_enhanced version 527

I changed 'Activity' to 'Run based on Preferences' and the number crunching stopped, tasks showed as 'suspended', but no message is written to messages tab.

Same for 'Activity' set to 'Suspend'.

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The problem is that ZoneAlarm shows localhost traffic as activity, which it shouldn't. I've been running Boinc with ZoneAlarm since Feb 2006 and it's always done the same thing (but doesn't bother me since the system tray is usually hidden).

The Boinc manager and Boinc client communicate via IP on localhost port 31416.

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