---
name: "xtleds"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "tleds"
version: "1.01-3"
release: "Debian 2.0 (Hamm)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/tleds"
---

# xtleds(1)

Blinks keyboard LEDs indicating incoming and outgoing network packets.

Part of [tleds(1)](/tleds/1.md).

## NAME

tleds, xtleds - Blinks keyboard LEDs indicating incoming and outgoing network packets.

## SYNOPSIS

**tleds** \[**-bhkqv** \] \[**-d** **N** \] **interface\_name**\
 **xtleds** \[**-bhkqv** \] \[**-d** **N** \] **interface\_name**

## DESCRIPTION

These programs help you monitor network traffic. They blink Scroll-Lock LED (Light Emitting Diode) when a network packet leaves the machine, and Num-Lock LED when one is received.

*tleds* can be started on Virtual Terminal (VT) without X-libraries (Xlib) installed. After started, the user can switch to X and tleds will be able to blink LEDs if there is "Xleds 2 3" in the Keyboard section of the /etc/X11/XF86Config.

*xtleds* can be started/run both on X and VT, and needs libX11.so  You will need the line "Xleds 2 3" in the XF86Config (see also BUGS)

tleds and xtleds when started from VT, and run as non root, need their tty to do [*ioctl*(2)](/ioctl/2.md) to change LEDs, so also when running in the background and ignoring SIGHUP, one cannot exit from the VT or tleds will exit itself.

When run as EUID root and NOT started in X, tleds and xtleds can run in the background without tty. Will use [*ioctl*(2)](/ioctl/2.md) of /dev/console and therefore can be started for example in boot-up script, eg. in */etc/rc.d/rc.local* (see the last EXAMPLE)

## PARAMETER

*interface\_name* is the name of your interface which you want to monitor. You can check your interface devices simply with  [*cat*(1)](/cat/1.md).\
 **cat** **/proc/net/dev**

## OPTIONS

- \-b

  Don't run on the background. Usefull when debugging and profiling.

- \-d {N}

  Set update delay in milliseconds. N must be between 1 and 10000 ms. Without -d the default for *eth\** (ethernet) device is 100 ms and 200 ms for others like: *ppp\** (Point to Point Protocol), *sl\** (SLIP) and *lo* (loopback).

- \-h

  Gives short help.

- \-k

  Kills an old tleds process running.

- \-q

  Is pretty quiet. Doesn't tell you in the start what it will do.

- \-v

  Gives version information.

## EXAMPLES

- tleds ppp0

  Starts tleds in the background and with 200 ms (default) update delay. PPP (Point to Poing Protocol) interface #0 is monitored.

- tleds -d 100 ppp0

  Starts monitoring the interface ppp0 updating every 100 ms.

- tleds -qd 50 eth0

  Blinks LEDs looking what comes and goes from eth0 (ethernet) every 50 ms. Starts quietly.

- tleds eth1

  On eth1 and update delay is 100 ms (default).

- xtleds -vbd 200 lo

  Loopback device (lo) and shows version information, delay 200 ms. Runs using X-Windows if started from xterm, and VT (ioctl) if started in VT. Doesn't fork itself in the background.\
   You can test this on an other xterm window:\
   **ping -c 20 localhost**

- tleds -k

  Kills the beast, tleds/xtleds, runnning if there is such.

- echo "/usr/bin/tleds -qd 50 eth0" \>\>/etc/rc.d/rc.local

  (Done as EUID root) Will start tleds in the boot-up, running always in the backgroud. Starts quietly. Will monitor eth0 with 50 ms update delays.

## FILES

/proc/net/dev\
 /tmp/tleds.pid\
 /var/run/tleds.pid\
 /etc/X11/XF86Config

## AUTHOR

tleds and xtleds was made by Jouni Lohikoski \<Jouni.Lohikoski@iki.fi\>.

## COPYRIGHT

Copyrighted and released under GNU General Public License (GPL).

## URL

\<URL:http://www.iki.fi/Jouni.Lohikoski/tleds.html\>

## SEE ALSO

[console\_ioctl(4)](/console_ioctl/4.md), [setleds(1)](/setleds/1.md), [xset(1)](/xset/1.md), XF86Config(4)

## BUGS

I hope not. Please e-mail me when you find them. Sometimes when you kill tleds, it will leave the LEDs on. Just restart tleds for few seconds and kill it again. xtleds on XFree v3.2 doesn't work unless you put "XkbDisable" in the Keyboard section of XF86Config. Tested only on i386 Linux. Will get SIGSEGV if tried to monitor network device which doesn't support /proc filesystem, eg. dummy.

## DATE

Version 1.00 released on The Judgment Day, 29th August 1997