wake on lan (wol) is an acpi function allowing a powered down (sleeping) computer to be powered on from a remote station. to use the wol feature, the nic must be wol capable and the motherboard of the pc must be acpi compliant.

    while powered-down computers sleep, wol enabled nics monitor lan traffic for valid wake-up frames.

    when one is received, the nic will immediately wake-up and send a signal to the motherboard to power on the computer.

    some uses for the wol feature include:

    ·forgot a document and out of town? send a wake-up signal to your computer and retrieve the needed file.

    ·initiate long routines and reports before you get to work.

    ·transfer files when the network traffic is low (during late hours).

    ·power on your pc before you arrive to work.

    ·the mis department can upgrade software on computers after hours from a remote station.

    wol is very helpful in limiting the power consumption of pcs, workstations, and kiosks.