Can the HD100 Wake the server?

[DFranch]

I just ordered the HD extender it will be here on Friday. Now that I have the extender I'd like to accomplish 2 things. 1) I am going to move the Sage box into the office (I currently use the server for recording and playback). 2) I'd like to begin sleeping sage when it is not recording. (no more noisy fan running constantly). I can't put Sage to sleep now because I need to use FSE to get smooth playback and when the computer wakes up, with FSE enabled, the menu is FUBAR. This brings me to my main question. Can the HD100 wake my server when I want to watch a show? Has anybody done this? Is it easy or complicated? I assume I have to enable wake on LAN in the bios of the computer, what other steps are necessary?

Thanks!

[thatdude90210]

That what I do now. Just need to enable wake-on-lan, that's it.

[DFranch]

I was hoping it was that easy. Thanks for the info!

[sleonard]

Actually the server needs to be set to wake on any network activity not just WOL or Magic packets. Neither the STX-100 nor the Sage Client SW have the ability to send those specially formulated packets but they will hit the server with data.

Because you are not restricting wakeup to these special packets it can be difficult to keep the server asleep when it is not needed. This is the issue I am having ATM, the server goes to sleep but wakes within a few seconds if the network cable is plugged in. So it is constantly cycling wake, sleep, wake, sleep, etc.

S

[trini0]

Originally Posted by sleonard

Actually the server needs to be set to wake on any network activity not just WOL or Magic packets. Neither the STX-100 nor the Sage Client SW have the ability to send those specially formulated packets but they will hit the server with data.

Because you are not restricting wakeup to these special packets it can be difficult to keep the server asleep when it is not needed. This is the issue I am having ATM, the server goes to sleep but wakes within a few seconds if the network cable is plugged in. So it is constantly cycling wake, sleep, wake, sleep, etc.

S

In my setup, I do not have any stray packets going to the server, so once it goes to sleep it stays that way
Also Wake on directed packet for the most part is hardware specific. I bought an Intel NIC just for that purpose.

[DFranch]

Well, maybe it will not be that easy. I have an nvidia nForce 570 motherboard with 2 nic's. Hopefully at least one of them will work the way I need it to.

[thatdude90210]

Originally Posted by sleonard

Because you are not restricting wakeup to these special packets it can be difficult to keep the server asleep when it is not needed. This is the issue I am having ATM, the server goes to sleep but wakes within a few seconds if the network cable is plugged in. So it is constantly cycling wake, sleep, wake, sleep, etc.

Luckily, I'm not seeing that issue at all. My HD100 wakes the server, and when I get up in the morning my server is back on standby. Same with placeshifter over the internet. It wakes my server to stream to my work, then when I get home it's back on standby.

And I have no issues with other computer in my network waking it unintentionally, only wakes when I start a client, placeshifter, the HD100, or to record.

[DFranch]

Well first let me say that I got me extender working in no time and it is awesome. Everything plays back better. I did not really realize how bad my PC was playing back until I watched a couple of shows on the extender. The bad news however is that after enabling wake on lan on the server the extender still did not wake up the server. I guess the Asus m2n sli deluxe nic requires a special header, not just any activity. Does anybody have any ideas? if not does anybody know of a inexpensive USB nic which might work (I don't have any open PCI slots). Preferably a gigabit nic.

[ChubbyTiger]

Oddly, I had mine working perfectly until recently. Now my server won't wake on directed traffic, only Magic Packet. Weird, since I didn't change anything (well, SP3 may have been a mistake).

[DFranch]

Originally Posted by ChubbyTiger

Oddly, I had mine working perfectly until recently. Now my server won't wake on directed traffic, only Magic Packet. Weird, since I didn't change anything (well, SP3 may have been a mistake).

I haven't even installed SP3. I wonder if there is any chance of the Extender sending the magic packet? Seems like it would be easy enough to do.

[sleonard]

One would think so but this is a long standing request since before the HD100 with regular PC clients and has been ignored by Sage so far. Here's hoping that it is on a developer list and is making it's way to the top.

S

[ChubbyTiger]

Originally Posted by sleonard

One would think so but this is a long standing request since before the HD100 with regular PC clients and has been ignored by Sage so far. Here's hoping that it is on a developer list and is making it's way to the top.

S

Not being a programmer, I'd imagine that hard part would be that Magic Packets have to include the IP and MAC addresses of the target. Is it possible for a client to determine both by itself (i.e. without being told by the user)?

[DFranch]

Originally Posted by ChubbyTiger

Not being a programmer, I'd imagine that hard part would be that Magic Packets have to include the IP and MAC addresses of the target. Is it possible for a client to determine both by itself (i.e. without being told by the user)?

If that were the case I would use a static IP instead of DHCP. The MAC address never changes, so you would only have to enter that once. Problem solved.

[sleonard]

Originally Posted by ChubbyTiger

Not being a programmer, I'd imagine that hard part would be that Magic Packets have to include the IP and MAC addresses of the target. Is it possible for a client to determine both by itself (i.e. without being told by the user)?

The clients have to perform a server discovery before they can connect and that gives them the IP address. They also have to use ARP to get the MAC address from the IP or they could not communicate at all on a network.

S

[DFranch]

I figured it out. If you go into device manager and look at the properties for the nic there is a power management tab. There was a checkbox to allow network traffic to wake the machine. It seems to be working now. I don't know why it did not occur to me to check there last night. I guess that is the trouble with working on your computer at 1:30 in the morning. Thanks for all of the input.

[sabre]

DFranch, I was looking the solve the same issue as you. I have WOL working and can wake the server with magic packet. But I am unable to wake it by turning on the extender, or any other plain network activity. Under my 'power management setting' i only have options to 'allow computer to turn off this device to save power' 'allow this device to bring the computer out of standby' and subset of that 'only allow management stations to bring the computer out of standby'. I have no options for network activity or directed packet.

the NIC is built into the mobo 965P-DS3, and is a Marvell NIC. Anyone able to get the extender to wake server with this hardware setup? Thanks

[sleonard]

"Only allow management stations to bring the computer out of standby" should not be checked. That option allows only magic packets and not any network activity to wake the PC.

S

[sabre]

Thanks, I did test it with that unchecked, and still no go. I am not sure this card allows any (besides magic packet) activity to wake it up.

[EdwardATeller]

I was going to post the same question, but a quick search found this thread. Maybe implementing magic packets is harder than it seems, but it would be nice.

In response to one of the posters above, you have to check the box to allow the NIC to bring the computer out of standby, but do not check the management console box. If you can't get it to work, buying another NIC might worth a try.

Just did this with mine, but I haven't tested it yet. Hope it works. I have a separate NIC running directly to my HD Extender on a crossover cable, so there isn't any unrelated network traffic to wake the Sage server unecessarily.

[rtengvad]

Originally Posted by EdwardATeller

In response to one of the posters above, you have to check the box to allow the NIC to bring the computer out of standby, but do not check the management console box.

You might also want to check the advanced tab in the NICs properties. Usually you find some wake up settings there as well.

Rasmus