Solution for powering on computers remotely

exampasser

Has anybody had any success powering on Optiplex gx 520's using Wake on lan and if so what BIOS setting do you set (would look myself but I don't have physical access to one) and what program do you use to send Wake on lan packets?

I'm asking this question as users for a workplace can't RDP into their work computers after a power outage occurs.

Devilsbane

You are going to want to be careful about accepting WOL requests from outside your network. You would need to open a port in your firewall and that could open some vulnerabilities.

I use a product at home called WOL. But that isn't going to work over the internet because the other computer will never find the MAC address.

exampasser

Devilsbane wrote: »

You are going to want to be careful about accepting WOL requests from outside your network. You would need to open a port in your firewall and that could open some vulnerabilities.

I was planning to remotely log onto the server(which has a UPS) and send WOL packets from there.

Claymoore

I have used GPUpdate from SpecOps software before. The GP update and WSUS functions worked great but I never used the WOL feature. As an added bonus, it's based on PoSh so you can script the functions.

Remote Gpupdate, WOL and restart / shutdown | Specops Gpupdate

exampasser

Claymoore wrote: »

I have used GPUpdate from SpecOps software before. The GP update and WSUS functions worked great but I never used the WOL feature. As an added bonus, it's based on PoSh so you can script the functions.

Remote Gpupdate, WOL and restart / shutdown | Specops Gpupdate

Thanks, I'll check it out.

Devilsbane

exampasser wrote: »

I was planning to remotely log onto the server(which has a UPS) and send WOL packets from there.

In that case, this is what I use from home.

Wake On LAN - Free software downloads and software reviews - CNET Download.com

QHalo

We use Altiris and it's WOL capabilities. All you need to do in the BIOS is change the Power Management settings to Enable Wake-on-LAN. That's it.

exampasser

I had the opportunity today to try a WOL utility (used the one Devilsbane suggested) as the workplace yet again suffered an outage but no luck. I got a message from the utility saying that the computer has been successfully powered on but upon trying to RDP into it and pinging it, I got no response. I viewed an online user guide for the dell optiplex gx520 and according to default BIOS settings if I was interpreting it correctly it should have worked so either the BIOS settings have been changed or something else is going on.

ajmatson

I use Logmein and there is an option to send WOL packet from inside your protected LAN as long as one other computer is powered on like you main desktop.

Pash

We used to use Altiris and a WOL proxy for client networks, worked ok.