[Tfug] OT - PC Autostart Hardware

[Zack Williams]

>> WOL works well.  I use this routinely at client shops to wake up workstations
>> so I can patch them at night.  No experience setting it up on *nix boxen but on
>> 'Doze there are some tweaks you need to make.
>
> Are there actual OS level tweaks to make? I thought you just enable
> "Wake on LAN" in the BIOS, sling the magic packet at that puppy, and
> you're good.
>
> There's more to it than that?

Depends on the system. Some require a jumper connection between the
NIC and a port on the logic board.  Some it's a BIOS level setting,
others you have to do it in the OS. Some systems will only come out of
sleep mode, not power up cold from WoL packets. It's best to look at
manufacturer documentation for this, and try it out before putting the
system into service.

Additionally, the built in WOL packet generators in some software are
not reliable (Apple Remote Desktop is particularly bad) - there are
perl WoL implementations out there that I've found to work better.

- Zack