Turning off an ethernet port LED

[brendenparker]

Hello,

I have to unplug one of two possible cables. I don not have access to the site. How do I issue a command from ubuntu that will disable the LED on the correct port, in this case eth1?

 

[eibgrad]

Huh? I don't understand what you're trying to do. What kind of cables? Network (ethernet)? Cables connected to what? What "site"? LED port on what, your router, your network card?

 

[elel]

Hello Brenden. As far as I know, the lights of an ethernet port are hardwired, so if they are annoying you you will have to do some hardware hacking. If I am reading you correctly though in that you want to use them as a diagnostic tool, I am not sure what you are trying to diagnose, or if I am competent to answer you. Try expanding your question some and posting it in the Linux/Free BSD portion of this forum for fast attention from experts in unix commands. This isn't the wrong place to post this, but you will get better/faster answers there.

 

[brendenparker]

Hello Brenden. As far as I know, the lights of an ethernet port are hardwired, so if they are annoying you you will have to do some hardware hacking. If I am reading you correctly though in that you want to use them as a diagnostic tool, I am not sure what you are trying to diagnose, or if I am competent to answer you. Try expanding your question some and posting it in the Linux/Free BSD portion of this forum for fast attention from experts in unix commands. This isn't the wrong place to post this, but you will get better/faster answers there.

I am after a ubuntu command that will disable the LED on the ethernet NIC while the rj45 is connected to it

Perhaps I have posted my question in the wrong place.

 

[brendenparker]

Huh? I don't understand what you're trying to do. What kind of cables? Network (ethernet)? Cables connected to what? What "site"? LED port on what, your router, your network card?

Perhaps I have placed my question in the wrong place, but I am after a ubuntu command that will disable the LED on the NIC while the rj45 is still connected to it. Basically I need to know what cable is connected to what NIC.

 

[elel]

Ok, that's kinda what I thought. No, you are not in the wrong place, you will just get people who know the answer to this (unlike me) faster over there. Good luck!

 

[eibgrad]

I'm unaware of any programmatic means to disable the LED light(s) on your NIC. But I have seen it w/ other network devices. For example, I have an IP camera that has this option, which makes sense. By doing so, it remains stealthy. But that’s a device w/ embedded programming, so ANYTHING is possible in that case. But for your average PC's ethernet adapter? I guess it's always possible someone knows of a way, but I've never heard of it, nor even had someone request it until now.

There’s always duck tape!

 

[elel]

As I read it, he is looking for a way to identify which port is doing what by controlling the lighting patterns in a recognizable way, not to disable the lighting per say.