Wake-on-LAN (WoL) is an Ethernet networking standard that allows a computer to be turned on or awakened from a low-power state by a network message. The message is usually referred to as a magic packet.
For Wake-on-LAN to work, the target computer’s network hardware must support the feature. Wake-on-LAN may also need to be enabled in the BIOS or UEFI firmware and configured for the network interface.
Wake-on-LAN is useful for remote administration, home labs and other environments where systems do not need to remain powered on continuously.
This article picks some useful Wake-on-LAN tools for Linux.
Here’s our verdict captured in a legendary LinuxLinks-style ratings chart. Only free and open source software is eligible for inclusion here.
Click the links in the table below to learn more about each tool.
| Wake-on-LAN Tools | |
|---|---|
| UpSnap | Self-hosted wake-on-LAN web application |
| gWakeOnLAN | Small graphical utility that lets you wake up machines |
| Turn On | Small GNOME utility |
| wakeonlan | Perl script |
| virtwold | Wake-on-LAN for libvirt based VMs |
| Awake on Lan | Wake up computers remotely using Wake-on-LAN packets |
| wakey | Manage and wake devices using Wake-on-Lan |
| UPSWake | Sends Wake-on-LAN packets to bring systems back online |
| wol.rs | Wake On LAN magic packet command line tool and crate |
| wol | Wake networked computers remotely using a CLI or web interface |
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