Remote PC Turn On?

[Indobos]

Quick brain pick. Is their a way to remotely turn on a pc? If so is it through the network port or the serial port? and is it a function of the OS or the mobo? Any help appreciated. Thanks.

 

[b1gapl]

I think it would be a switch with a sensor to the remote. Google it up, and you'll find a lot of things on it.

 

[Indobos]

Thanks B1gapl. I think I told you that I program control systems and I had a request from an engineer whether this is something we could do. Typically we don't deal with the PC end of the installations. I googled the question and they said in the bios you can set up WOL. Wake up on LAN. The only issue is the computer needs to be in standby or hibernation otherwise this wont work. So I thought about it since the power button on the pc is somewhere between +5 & +12v I decided to just hook up a wire tied to a relay on the control system and just latch the relay for a sec. This should give me the same results. Thanks again for your help. we aren't sure we want to tool someone's PC so I might just write up a tech note for their IT guys so we don't have to deal with it.

 

[MajorHertz]

WOL should work if the computer is off, not just sleeping. However you do need to be on the same subnet. Just toggle on in the BIOS and windows.

Your other option is a device like this... I dont have the generic one, but this is at least what I'm talking about: dataprobe iboot--Dataprobe iBoot Remote Reboot equipment

Or your double power switch works as well, I suppose. Just a bit less ideal.

Edit: This is in high performance PC section. I dont know what kind of box it is, but servers some have LOM capabilities. If yours does, look into that as well.

 

[veedubfreak]

I read somewhere that there are some motherboards that allow you to do ctrl-f1 and boot, but i havent looked into it personally.

 

[Indobos]

Thanks for the link Major. But this would require another PC to acess the control software. I am looking for something a bit more remote switch activated. Why is the double switch less than ideal. Do you foresee a problem with that setup? I just think that closing a relay just as the front power button does would be sufficient without any real problems.

 

[MajorHertz]

Well, you have to run a wire from the machine to your desk. I dont know your setup there but that may be a pain. Also there is the risk of fire, electrical shock (either to you or the mobo), etc. All not real issues, i suppose, but I'll say less elegant.

And the way I read the link, that device plugs into the machine's power then can be turned on my any machine with a web browser. If this machine with the web browser is the second machine, well then yea. However you dont need a machine to monitor the machines. Its the same amount of machines needed for a WOL or LOM setup.

This also adds to the ability to do this anywhere in the world, if required.

Once again, i dont know the setup. The switch may be all that you need. However the features of WOL/LOM or this device make remote administration better and easier. If all you need is to turn it on, your switch should work flawlessly with the caveats I already mentioned, mostly aesthetic and safety.

 

[Indobos]

Yeah, this pc is going in a rack and they are going to have a control panel tied to a system processor that has i/o, rs232 ports and relays. Not sure if their will be a shock hazard. as all i am going to require them to do is just run an inline mini conector that I can tie to the power switch. (low voltage DC mind you) So I don't really see a problem. They will not have another PC for web access so I will just run this by them and see what they say.

 

[MajorHertz]

Now with the full story, its not as big of an issue since you are just making the wire to the power switch longer. I had the vision you are sitting upstairs in a house, you ran a wire through your air ducts downstairs to your other computer and tapped into the power button wires. In this scenario there is like 5 problems right there, but you dont seem to be in this case.

Yea, this should be ok as long as the chassis is grounded properly (sounds like it is) and the person doing the work knows what they are doing.

I dont know what the system is being used for, but in the future you may need to go to one of the other options. If so, it looks like you know where to go.

Good luck.

 

[Indobos]

Yeah. I work for a systems integration company. We have been doing commercial installs for awhile. My only issue, but not really an issue, was tapping into the front panel of the PC. we deal with Low and high voltages all day long. I was just hoping for an easy remote turn on through the I/O port on the PC. Most of the equipment we deal with has this type of input and I wasn't sure if a PC had this capability as well. Typically we don't touch the PC end and allow the end user to furnish and install their own. But I was just asked by an engineer if this was possible so I posed the question here. I just forwarded the information to their IT department and if they want to do the mod they can and we then can control it otherwise, they take their lazy behinds to the rack and press the power button on the PC. . Thanks for all the info guys. Much appreciated.