WiiConnect24

Nintendo WiiConnect24 Logo

According to Nintendo, "WiiConnect24 allows the console to receive downloads even when the console isn't in active use, as long as it has a working connection to the Internet." However, this is an incomplete description, as it fails to explain why there exists a configuration option to enable WC24, but disable "Standby Connect".

WC24 is actually a codename for the /dev/kd driver in IOS that allows the Starlet core to perform network-related tasks when the main CPU (Broadway) is powered off. Only a small fractional of the full functionality of this software is being used -- generally to either download large chunks of data in the background (system updates?) or keep small amounts of data continuously updated (news, weather, friend data in games, etc.)

The kd driver is large -- about 360k -- and makes heavy use of the SSL, SO (socket) and WL / ETH (wireless / Ethernet) drivers; together, this functionality comprises about 75% of the firmware.

Static analysis reveals the following main categories of functionality:

Sophisticated task scheduler, including periodic wakeup of either processor for maintenance tasks, and tracking max duty cycle ("Too much wakeup executed recently. Need to wait."), probably used for thermal management
SMTP engine, for sending and receiving email
Real-time clock, with synchronization to a Nintendo-run server (over SSL)
Virtual Machine for running channel scripts ("CHANS"), which are apparently a variant of Javascript. (This technology has no known use!)
Logging / debug capability, e.g.

13DFA93C                 DCB "This report was sent from Wii to debug your scripts.",0xD,0xA
13DFA93C                                         ; DATA XREF: NWC24WriteLogFile:off_13DB619C�o
13DFA93C                 DCB "The result summary is in the following:",0xD,0xA
13DFA93C                 DCB 0xD,0xA
13DFA93C                 DCB "- General information",0xD,0xA
13DFA93C                 DCB "    WiiConnect24 result code       : %d",0xD,0xA
13DFA93C                 DCB "    Number of committed mail       : %d",0xD,0xA
13DFA93C                 DCB "    VF archive                     : %s",0xD,0xA
13DFA93C                 DCB 0xD,0xA
13DFA93C                 DCB "- Trigger mail information",0xD,0xA
13DFA93C                 DCB "    Application ID                 : 0x%08x [%c%c%c%c]",0xD,0xA
13DFA93C                 DCB "    Group ID                       : 0x%04x [%c%c]",0xD,0xA
13DFA93C                 DCB "    Script parameter               : 0x%02x",0xD,0xA
13DFA93C                 DCB "    Time to live                   : %d",0xD,0xA
13DFA93C                 DCB "    Number of attached file        : %d",0xD,0xA
13DFA93C                 DCB 0xD,0xA
13DFA93C                 DCB "- Virtual machine specific information",0xD,0xA
13DFA93C                 DCB "    Result code of the VM          : %d [%s]",0xD,0xA
13DFA93C                 DCB "    Return value of the script     : 0x%016llx",0xD,0xA
13DFA93C                 DCB "    Last PC                        : 0x%08x",0xD,0xA
13DFA93C                 DCB "    Last line                      : %u",0xD,0xA
13DFA93C                 DCB "    Initial free work size         : %u",0xD,0xA
13DFA93C                 DCB "    Minimum free work size         : %u",0xD,0xA
13DFA93C                 DCB 0xD,0xA
13DFA93C                 DCB "For more information, please see the attached log file.",0xD,0xA

Friend list management

Message Board

The message board is a place where you can send and receive messages with other Wiis and email addresses. Games can also put messages here for accomplishments and the like. Channels can also send you updates and Nintendo can alert you when your firmware is ready to be updated. This is handled using SMTP.

See Friend Codes