NUC8BEB does not wake-on-lan

[newt]

My BOXNUC8i5BEK1 (BIOS BECFL357.86A.0073.2019.0618.1409) will not boot when sending wake-on-lan command.

Fast boot and Secure boot are turned off. 'Wake on LAN from S4/S5' is set to 'Power on - normal boot'.

Running the command (etherwake -D -p 9 -i eno1 xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx) from a linux box on the same network/vlan reports that 'Sendto worked'. This is using wired ethernet. Network admins say the network is not swallowing WOL commands.

I've tried this with and without an OS (Ubuntu 18.04) installed. I've reset to defaults and carefully tested one setting at a time. I've even reflashed the BIOS.

What should I try next?

[Alberto_R_Intel]

newt, Thank you for posting in the Intel® Communities Support.

In reference to this case, we just wanted to let you know that the official Operating System that was validated by Intel® to work with the Intel® NUC Kit NUC8i5BEK is Windows* 10 64-bit, as you can see here:

https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000005628/mini-pcs.html

So, when using a different Operating System we cannot guarantee that, in this case, the Wake on LAN feature will work properly besides the fact that there will be no drivers available for that OS in our web site:

https://downloadcenter.intel.com/

In the following link, you will find further information about how to configure the Wake on LAN feature, but as you can see, basically, the settings showing there are related to Windows*:

https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000027615/mini-pcs.html

You mentioned that you tested the Intel® NUC without OS. Based on that information, I just wanted to confirm, when you said that the Intel® NUC is not booting, you mean it is not waking up at all or it is waking up but not booting to Windows*? I just wanted to clarify those details.

Additionally, if you have the option of course, of testing another Intel® NUC just to rule out a possible hardware problem with the one that you are currently using, that is one of the best ways to confirm that, but also we completely understand if the option to do it is not available.

Regards,

Alberto R.

Intel Customer Support Technician

A Contingent Worker at Intel

[newt]

Thanks Alberto,

To clarify: You are correct. I meant that when there is no operating system installed I am unable to get the NUC to wake up. My choice of words there was poor.

I understand that Linux is unsupported. As far as I am aware WOL is a pre-OS interaction and no operating system is necessary for it to work. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

As an aside to the above, when I tested it under Linux I was able to query the NIC settings. It reported support for pumbg (phy,unicast,multicast,broadcast,magic packet) and was currently set to 'g' (magic packet).

I have another NUC but it's much older and I don't think I can compare them. FWIW WakeOnLAN works well on it.

My recollection is that this particular device *did* respond to WOL commands using a previous BIOS version (not sure which one it was unfortunately) - I wouldn't swear to it though.

Cheers!

[Alberto_R_Intel]

newt, No problem at all, you are very welcome, thank you very much for clarifying that information.

Yes, actually you can either use the Wake on LAN feature with or without the OS installed in the Intel® NUC, you should be able to wake it up even if there is no OS installed.

In reference to the NIC settings when using Linux, there is no documentation that we can check in order for us to confirm that those settings are properly configured, to make sure about that we recommend to visit the Ubunto/ Linux support forums to verify those details:

https://ubuntuforums.org/

Regarding using another Intel® NUC, if it is much older than the one you are currently using, then there is no need to test it, thank you though for letting us know that the Wake on LAN feature works fine with that unit.

I looked in our web site for a previous BIOS version that we can test, but currently, the only version available is the 0073 that is the one already installed in your system:

https://downloadcenter.intel.com/product/126147/Intel-NUC-Kit-NUC8i5BEK

We will try to replicate the issue in our Intel® lab, as soon as I get any updates I will post all the details on this thread.

Regards,

Alberto R.

Intel Customer Support Technician

A Contingent Worker at Intel

[Alberto_R_Intel]

newt, I just received an update on this matter.

We tried to replicate the issue in our Intel® Lab, we tested the Intel® NUC Kit NUC7i5DNKE as host and the Intel® NUC Kit NUC8i5BEK as client, we followed the steps showing in the link that was provided previously for the BIOS and windows settings and the system woke up, the LED behavior change from sleep to active, here is the link again:

https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000027615/mini-pcs.html

During the test, we used the software "Solar Winds" and the software reported that Intel® NUC is up and running after waking it up.

The test was done on a corporate network and a local network, in both environments the firewall was disabled and both devices were able to ping each other.

So, the problem seems to be related to the settings that were selected on your side to configure the Wake on LAN feature, please verify the server configuration, the network settings and make sure that everything is fine, test the system again and please let us know the results.

Regards,

Alberto R.

Intel Customer Support Technician

A Contingent Worker at Intel

[newt]

Thanks for all that effort Alberto. I appreciate it.

I guess there isn't much else for me to do, but if I could ask for some confirmation, given my BIOS version -  BECFL357.86A.0073.2019.0618.1409...

1) Any config done in the OS is merely setting an editable flag on the NIC and Windows is *not* required for making WOL work(?)

so

2) If I have *no* OS installed and I have a completely standard UEFI/BIOS config I *should* be able to get WOL working(?) I realize that there may be network issues that are mine alone.

My use-case is this: I plan to buy 20 of these, install RAM and an SSD and then plug them in to the network (no OS, no BIOS changes).

My takeaway is that under those circumstances I *will* be able to turn them on using WOL.

Is this a reasonable assumption?

Thanks again!

[Alberto_R_Intel]

newt, You are very welcome, thank you very much for providing those details.

Regarding the first question, yes, as you mentioned, any configuration done in the Operating System is merely setting an editable flag on the Intel® NIC and Windows*, it is not a requirement to use the Wake on LAN feature.

About the second question, you are also correct, if there is no Operating System install and you use a completely standard UEFI/BIOS configuration, you should be able to utilize the Wake on LAN feature as well.

Your assumption is also true, if you install RAM and an SSD and then plug them into the network without using OS, you will be able to turn the Intel® NUCs on using the Wake on LAN function.

Any other question, please let us know.

Regards,

Alberto R.

Intel Customer Support Technician

A Contingent Worker at Intel