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Wake Failures

When you trigger a wake and the device doesn't come online, work through this checklist before escalating. Most wake failures have a straightforward cause.

Diagnostic Checklist

  1. Is the device physically connected to power and network? A device that is unplugged from power or disconnected from the network cannot receive a magic packet. Verify that the power cable is connected and the network cable is seated in the port. Check for indicator lights on the network port.

  2. Is Wake-on-LAN enabled in the device's BIOS/UEFI? WoL must be explicitly enabled in the device's firmware settings. This is a per-device setting that is off by default on many machines. Look for options labeled "Wake on LAN," "Power On by PCIe," or similar under the power management section of the BIOS.

  3. Is the MAC address correct in the inventory? The magic packet is addressed to a specific MAC address. If the MAC address recorded in Campus WoL does not match the device's actual hardware address, the packet will be ignored. Verify the MAC address on the device itself (check the operating system's network settings or the label on the network interface card).

  4. Is the device on the expected VLAN? Magic packets are sent to the VLAN associated with the device's classroom. If the device has been moved to a different network segment or the VLAN configuration has changed, the packet will not reach the device.

  5. Is the wol-agent healthy? The wol-agent is the background service responsible for sending wake packets. If it is offline or unhealthy, no wake operations will succeed. See Agent Health to check its status.

How the Wake Workflow Works

Understanding the wake process helps you diagnose where a failure occurs:

  1. Magic packet sent. The wol-agent broadcasts a magic packet containing the target device's MAC address to the appropriate VLAN.
  2. Wait period. The system waits for the device to boot. Devices take varying amounts of time to complete their startup sequence.
  3. ARP verification. The system checks whether the device is now responding on the network by looking for its ARP entry. This confirms the device has powered on and its network interface is active.
  4. Retry loop. If the device is not detected, the system automatically retries. The verification process runs for up to 60 seconds with multiple checks before marking the attempt as failed.

Retrying Failed Devices

If a wake attempt fails, you can retry it from the wake history panel:

  • Open the classroom or site view where the failed device is listed.
  • Locate the device in the results and check its status.
  • Select the device and trigger a new wake operation.
  • If waking multiple devices, you can filter to show only failed devices and retry them as a batch.

When to Escalate

Escalate to your administrator if:

  • The device passes all five checklist items but still does not wake.
  • Multiple devices in the same classroom are failing simultaneously (this may indicate a network or VLAN issue).
  • The wol-agent is repeatedly going offline.
  • The device wakes successfully when the power button is pressed manually but not via WoL (this suggests a BIOS/firmware configuration issue that may require hands-on access).