Wake on LAN considerations with Intel Based ML2 adapters - Lenovo System x3850 X6, System x3950 X6

Resolving The Problem

Source

RETAIN tip: H004698

Symptom

Wake on LAN (WoL) does not work after shutting down or powering off in Microsoft Windows.

Affected configurations

The system may be any of the following Lenovo x86 servers:

• Lenovo System x3850 X6, type 6241, any model
• Lenovo System x3950 X6, type 6241, any model

The system is configured with one or more of the following Lenovo Options:

• Intel X540 ML2 Dual-Port 10 GbaseT Adapter for IBM System x, Option part number 00D1994, any model

This tip is not software specific.

Workaround

Perform the following to allow WoL to function after shutting down Microsoft Windows:

1. Ensure that the latest version of the Intel Device Drivers is installed (version 18.5 or later).
   
2. Navigate to Device Manager.
   
3. Open the adapter properties for each affected port of the Intel Ethernet Controller X540-AT2.
   
4. Navigate to the Power Management tab.
   
5. Users should see four options with the top two being checked.
   
6. Check the third option 'Wake on Magic Packet from power off state'.
   
7. Click OK.
   

WoL should work after an S0 to S5 power state transition.

Additional information

WoL is working as specified by Intel.

There are several ACPI power states possible for x86 based systems. In Microsoft Windows, the WoL settings in the driver are configured for each Power State. WoL is enabled by default for the power states S3 (sleep) and S4 (hibernation), and disabled by default for the S5 Power State (System Standby; meaning AC-on/DC-off).

The issue occurs when the selection is made to shutdown the Operating System or Server. Microsoft Windows drivers will override the default setting, disabling WoL from an S5 Power State.

To avoid the setting from being disabled, select either Sleep (S3) or Suspend to disk (S4) Power States instead of Shutdown.

In Linux, the WoL settings are more generic in that users cannot specify the Power States that work and those that do not. Since WoL is enabled by the driver by default, it will work from S3, S4, and S5 Power States.

The VMware driver does not support WoL and will not touch the settings, so the defaults in the firmware settings will remain untouched.