Wake on LAN Tool

Wake on LAN is a method that enables technicians to boot their local computers remotely, provided they satisfy a few criteria (given below).While trying to troubleshoot a particular computer, you may need to wake powered-off computers to kick-start your troubleshooting process. You can't always walk up to these computers and power them on manually each time, especially if the machine is at a remote location. In such cases, Wake on LAN comes in handy; you can instantly wake computers in your local network. This process involves sending a broadcast message (magic packet), that has the MAC address of the target machine, within a subnetwork. So that, in turn the target computer whose Network Card is running receives and verifies that the message is for itself and boots up the computer.

Remote Access Plus Wake-On-LAN tool - Capabilities

The WoL tool is one of the primary features in Remote Access Plus. Using this tool, you can

1. Instantly wake computers on-demand before troubleshooting.
2. Boot computers in the same or different subnet.
3. Wake any number of computers proving the MAC ID, Subnet and IP address without an agent.
4. Enable broadcasting and unicasting.
5. Wake computers in bulk.

How does Remote Access Plus Wake on LAN software work?

Upon meeting the prerequisites for Wake on LAN (one of the computer managed by Remote Access Plus should be running), you can directly wake up a shut down computer by logging into your Remote Access Plus web console, switching to the Tools tab and after selecting the Wake on LAN feature, you can click on any computer marked in red (red denotes a shut down computer), and initiate the booting. 

Frequently asked questions in Wake on LAN (WOL)

What is Wake on LAN?

Wake on LAN is a process that lets you switch on target remote computers, provided they meet a few criteria. The criteria usually involves having at least one computer up and running in the target subnet and the target computer's network card is active and functioning. This enables IT administrators to remotely boot a machine and troubleshoot it.

Why do you need a Wake on LAN tool?

Wake on LAN comes in handy when you have to troubleshoot computers on-demand that are shutdown and you have to wake them up. You can boot up computers without moving from your desk. Wake on LAN is especially helpful if a target computer is situated in a different geographical location.

How does Wake-On-LAN software work?

Wake on LAN is mostly used to awaken computers in the same network. A local network message (magic packet) is sent to the target computer from the Remote Access Plus server. Once the magic packet is executed, the computer will automatically be turned on. Remote Access Plus lets you to instantly wake computers even in different subnets by broadcasting the magic packets to multiple subnets.

How to enable Wake on LAN?

With Remote Access Plus, you can instantly power on computers belonging to same or different subnets. However, there are a few pre-requisites to be met,

1. To wake computers in a different subnet at least one computer in the specified subnet should be live.
2. Network settings should be configured to enable IP directed broadcast.
3. Proper BIOS level settings should be enabled. How to enable BIOS settings?
4. Ensure proper OS settings.

Benefits of Wake on LAN

• Troubleshoot remotely shutdown computers immediately
• Ease the workflow of other IT administrative tasks by scheduling computers to boot up at a specific time.

 

Scheduling a Wake on LAN task

To create a Wake on LAN task, follow the steps below:

Step 1: Define Task

• Navigate to Wake on LAN from the Tools tab.
• Click the Schedule Wake Up button to create a new task and specify the following:
  • Provide a name for the task
  • Waiting time after wake up: Desktop Central, after broadcasting the Wake On LAN packets, will wait for the period specified here to check the status of the computer.
  • Resolve IP Address on each schedule: Select this option to resolve the IP Addresses of the machines during every schedule.

Step 2: Select Computers

• Define the targets that comprise the list of computers to be booted.
• Broadcasting of the WOL packets is based on the subnet address of the computers. If the subnet address is blank or if it is incorrect, the task may fail. You can modify the details such as MAC address, IP address and Subnet mask of the computer by choosing Modify under the Actions column opposite to the corresponding computer.

Step 3: Define Scheduler

• Once: To run the task only once. You need to specify the date and time.
• Daily: To run the task daily. Specify the time and duration to run the task.
• Weekly: To run the task on specific day(s) in a week. Specify the time, start date, and days on which the task has to be run.
• Monthly: To run the task specific day every month(s). You need to specify starting time, select a day and select a month/months.

Step 4: Deploy Task

Click the Submit button to deploy this task. The tasks will be run at the scheduled time and interval. The status of the tasks and their execution history can be verified from the Task Details page.

Viewing and Modifying Wake on LAN Tasks

To view the Wake on LAN tasks that have been created, follow the steps below:

• Navigate to Wake on LAN from the Tools tab. This lists all the tasks that are already created/scheduled.
• To modify a task, choose to Modify from the Actions column opposite to the corresponding task.
• To delete a task, choose to Delete from the Actions column opposite to the corresponding task.

Viewing Wake on LAN Task Status

To view the status of the Wake on LAN tasks that have been created, follow the steps below:

• Select Wake on LAN from the Tools tab. This lists all the tasks that are already created/scheduled.
• Click on the task name to view the status of the computers in that task.

You can filter to view the details of the computers by filtering status such as Scheduled, Processing, Success, and Failed.