Wake on LAN
After all these years I have finally started playing around with turning on computer remotely. A Vostro 230 in particular. I use TeamViewer. The short question is ..... has anyone gotten Wake on LAN to work with a Vostro 230 when it is shut off?
The long question.... while I was working with tech support from TeamViewer they had me go in to Network and Sharing and set some advanced options on the Ethernet adapter. I asked they why ... because with the computer off these setting wouldn't affect the NIC would they? He actually wasn't sure. The only way Windows settings would affect a NIC on a turned off computer would be if those setting were stored in some kind of NVRAM on the NIC would it? Does anyone know?
The long question.... while I was working with tech support from TeamViewer they had me go in to Network and Sharing and set some advanced options on the Ethernet adapter. I asked they why ... because with the computer off these setting wouldn't affect the NIC would they? He actually wasn't sure. The only way Windows settings would affect a NIC on a turned off computer would be if those setting were stored in some kind of NVRAM on the NIC would it? Does anyone know?
rindi
You normally have to enable Wake On Lan somewhere in the BIOS, usually in the power settings. If it is enabled there your PC will power on should it's NIC receive the magic packets.
ASKER
I will not argue with the. The key would being "should". Wake on LAN is enabled in the BIOS. The original questions still stand.....
It doesn't have anything to do with the NVRAM, that is used for booting FROM the LAN and not to wake the PC.
But specifics on the PC model you have I don't have, as I don't have such a PC.
But specifics on the PC model you have I don't have, as I don't have such a PC.
ASKER
@Rindi.... it isn't boot from LAN. Go in and look at the ethernet adapter in Network and Sharing. Under advanced, just one of the option (and there are four), is "Wake on Magic Packet". The question was... these settings aren't store in the network adapter are they? via NVRAM or EPROM? So none of these settings will affect the NIC when the computer is off correct?
It isn't a setting in the OS for the adapter. It is a setting in the BIOS. It has nothing to do with NVRAM or EPROM. NVRAM or EPROM's are used to boot from LAN, and not for Wake on LAN. NIC cards, particularly old ones, have a socket on them where you can insert an EPROM. With that EPROM you were able to set it up to boot directly from the LAN (for example when there was no physical boot media or HD in the PC). That way you could boot directly from an OS image on a server, or also install the OS directly from the server without any boot media. Newer NIC's, or mainly the onboard NIC's of mainboards don't need an EPROM for that to work, they use NVRAM (so there is no extra socket for the EPROM, the NVRAM chip is rather already soldered on).
WOL doesn't use either of those. I don't know exactly how it works, but I assume all it needs is the NIC's MAC address. It probably sends the MAC address as a "Magic Packet", and if the NIC receives it, that will power on the PC.
Maybe the WikiPedia Link below will give some more info:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wake-on-LAN
WOL doesn't use either of those. I don't know exactly how it works, but I assume all it needs is the NIC's MAC address. It probably sends the MAC address as a "Magic Packet", and if the NIC receives it, that will power on the PC.
Maybe the WikiPedia Link below will give some more info:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wake-on-LAN
ASKER
Well... I am going to say the short answer to the long question is ... the settings you see for the adapter when you look at it within Windows have nothing to do with WOL when the computer is powered off. You just went about it the long way around :)
I am going to take it a step farther and say that when the computer is off you are pretty much at the mercy of the NIC and Motherboard as to whether or not it will wake up. WOL is on in the BIOS. If you put the computer to sleep while in Windows TeamViewer will wake it up but it won't wake it up from a powered off state. To me that would mean an issue with either the NIC or with the Motherboard. No?
I am going to take it a step farther and say that when the computer is off you are pretty much at the mercy of the NIC and Motherboard as to whether or not it will wake up. WOL is on in the BIOS. If you put the computer to sleep while in Windows TeamViewer will wake it up but it won't wake it up from a powered off state. To me that would mean an issue with either the NIC or with the Motherboard. No?
It doesn't have to be in sleep mode. The PC can be powered off. But it has to be connected to a power source and WOL needs to be enabled in the BIOS. Usually you will see the NIC LED blinking even if the PC is powered off. That tells you that you could power it on via the LAN.
It has to be in standby, like most appliances are (TV's etc.).
It has to be in standby, like most appliances are (TV's etc.).
ASKER
it is powered off and connected to a power source. All I have to do is hit the power button and it boots with internet. It just won't power up from WOL.
It doesn't have to be in sleep mode? I am not sure where you are going with that comment. No it does have to be in sleep mode but that is a test. It wakes it up from sleep mode but not from power off.
"It has to be in standby, like most appliances are (TV's etc.)." that one I am going to have to disagree with. I am assuming by that you mean you can't do a "Start=>Shutdown" and expect to wake it up?
Both statements are a little difficult to understand..... can you clarify?
It doesn't have to be in sleep mode? I am not sure where you are going with that comment. No it does have to be in sleep mode but that is a test. It wakes it up from sleep mode but not from power off.
"It has to be in standby, like most appliances are (TV's etc.)." that one I am going to have to disagree with. I am assuming by that you mean you can't do a "Start=>Shutdown" and expect to wake it up?
Both statements are a little difficult to understand..... can you clarify?
PC's when you power them off, go into Standby mode. The power supply continues to have power, and so does the mainboard, as the power button on the PC is connected to the mainboard, not the powersupply, and it also is not an ON/OFF switch, but just a button which shorts a circuit while you press it. It acts similarly to a TV remote which powers on the TV. The TV's circuit that accepts RC commands must be "live" if it should be able to turn the TV on. Also the NIC must be "Live" for WOL to work.
The difference between sleep mode and Standby, is that in standby it takes longer to boot, as it has to load the complete OS, while when you are in sleep, the PC itself is still running in low power mode (The OS is still loaded in the RAM, which means the RAM needs to have power all the time, while the CPU is idle, along with most of the rest of the PC).
The difference between sleep mode and Standby, is that in standby it takes longer to boot, as it has to load the complete OS, while when you are in sleep, the PC itself is still running in low power mode (The OS is still loaded in the RAM, which means the RAM needs to have power all the time, while the CPU is idle, along with most of the rest of the PC).
ASKER
OK. I guess. That was a good description of Power Off but we are talking syntax. I am saying Power Off, which 99% of people well say. You are saying StandBy. We'll use your terminology. It won't wake up from "StandBy". Nothing has really chaned. The questions still remain.
The long question has been answer. The short one still remains. Why won't a Dell Vostro wake up from "StandBy"?
The long question has been answer. The short one still remains. Why won't a Dell Vostro wake up from "StandBy"?
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ASKER
Yes. Thanks Rindi. The option is there in the BIOS, I even went as far as trying a different NIC. No luck. It has to be a problem with the motherboard that even the latest BIOS won't fix. WOL just doesn't work on the Vostro 230.