DSL Modem Activity....
 

Every so-often, I notice that my activity lights on my DSL modem blink, similarly to what a normal packet transaction would do. When I power cycle the modem to acquire a new ip address, it'll sometimes blink like crazy, then disperse after a minute or so. Thinking that I may have acquired an IP address that a peer-to-peer user used, I pay no mind to it. But, the occurrences are increasing.

I checked my firewall to see if any packets are leaving the station. It showed zip. Then, I checked my router to see if it's catching any transfer movements.....none. So, now I'm a little bit worried. It could be nothing, but is it possible that the router is communicating with the dsl to ensure its connectivity? Or is there something going on with the outside line that is communicating with the DSL?

Something is being transferred, and it could be ingenuous, like the ISP updating the firmware (if that even happens).

Are there any software or hardware tools that I can acquire to ensure nothing malicious is going on?

No its nothing to worry about. It is actually your DSL provider checking the status of your connection as you suggested. It pretty much asks the modem "Are you still there, do you still need your IP address; do you need a new one?" And the modem answers back. These packets never reach your internal network thus your software firewall or router would not report such.

The heavy traffic after a power cycle is also normal as the modem acquires its IP address along with getting protocol information as well as sending and receiving sync packets to and from your ISP. Syncing can take upward to a few minutes depending on the network.

*exhales* Ah, thank you so much, Cetra, for dissolving my doubts. I thought something else was going on, and I was beginning to get worried. :)