# Wake on LAN problem [solved]

## pomaranca

Hello!

I have activated wake on LAN on my desktop computer following this guide http://gentoo-wiki.com/Wake_on_lan.

It works fine if I try to wake it from my laptop computer, which is directly connected into the same switch.

But when i try to wake it from my server, which has three network interfaces it won't work. 

The desktop computer which i'm trying to wake up is connected to the server via one of these interfaces (eth1). There is only one switch between.

The server is running gentoo and firewall is set up by shorewall.

I tried to turn off the other two interfaces and then wake up the desktop computer but ether-tool and wakeonlan complained:

```
rutercek ~ # ifconfig eth0 down

rutercek ~ # ifconfig eth2 down
```

```
rutercek ~ # ether-wake  00:30:4F:36:6B:E8

sendto: Network is down
```

```
rutercek ~ # wakeonlan  00:30:4F:36:6B:E8

Sending magic packet to 255.255.255.255:9 with 00:30:4F:36:6B:E8

send : Network is unreachable at /usr/bin/wakeonlan line 82.
```

So i guess it isn't sending the magic packet to the right interface.

Does anyone know where the problem is?Last edited by pomaranca on Tue Dec 19, 2006 7:46 pm; edited 1 time in total

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## nerdspot

Does the server support wake on lan? I vaguely remember seeing something from another forum where the server didnt support wake on lan and it didnt work.

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## Voltago

pomaranca, have you  tried a more specific broadcast, like

```
wakeonlan  -i 192.168.0.255 00:30:4F:36:6B:E8
```

so that your machine doesn't try to route it to downed interfaces?

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## pomaranca

nerdspot: As far as i know there is no special hardware support needed for the computer that is sending magic packets.

Voltago: I just copied your line and it works.   :Smile:  I thought i already tried it. But i guess i only typed the IP of the desktop computer instead of the broadcast address. 

I've got one more question: Is it possible to send magic packets via TCP/IP protocol?

Thanx for help!

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## Voltago

 *pomaranca wrote:*   

> I've got one more question: Is it possible to send magic packets via TCP/IP protocol?

 

Don't think so as this would be a magic stream rather than a magic packet. Why do you ask?

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## pomaranca

Well it would have to be a kind of magic if you could turn on any computer just by knowing the hardware address of their network interfaces. I know i can wake up the computers that are part of my LAN. I ask because i would like to turn on my server (although it is always turned on and it automatically reboots after electricity fallout) to which i connect through WAN and is 100km away so there are many routers between and i don't know if they forward the magic packets to the specific IP, and how would it even be possible to reach NIC via IP if it is turned off and thus has no IP address assigned.

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## Voltago

That's a no-go, you'll need some kind of agent machine on the target site, maybe a wrt54 router or a fox board or something of that style.

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