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Networks Blocking Wake up on LAN packets

Discussion in 'Tech Support' started by sandys, 16 May 2025.

  1. sandys

    sandys Multimodder

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    It would appear the BIOS on my Gigabyte motherboard is a bit rubbish and the Wake on LAN disabled switch is not disabling wake on LAN and my machine is randomly turning on, not sure where when WOL packets are coming from but it is not functionality I use, so what do I look for in the firewall to block these packets?

    Currently disabling my LAN ports and using Wifi works, but as you can imagine that is not a solution even if you can do a few Gb on Wifi with Wifi 7.

    I have a ticket in with Gigabyte but they aren’t as responsive as Asus it seems.
     
  2. Gareth Halfacree

    Gareth Halfacree WIIGII! Lover of bit-tech Administrator Super Moderator Moderator

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    Where's the firewall? As the name suggests, WOL is for LAN traffic - you can't send a WOL packet through a border router unless someone's done something really, really silly. Any WOL packets that are hitting your machine are from a local device, and if the firewall isn't sat between the Gigabyte board and the rest of your network it can't block 'em.

    If you mean a software firewall on the machine itself, that won't help either - the OS isn't running when the WOL packet hits and wakes the system up.

    Are you sure it's waking up because of WOL and not some other reason? (I've seen a system with a marginal power button turn itself on at random before...) Have you seen the WOL packets? (Stick Wireshark on it, capture, filter for WOL - if you don't see any WOL packets, that ain't your problem.)
     
  3. sandys

    sandys Multimodder

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    I don't know 100% but if I disable the LAN ports the machine stays off, suggests to me it is WOL, as to where the packets are coming from I don't know, I thought if it might come from the internet, so I could block a port there, internally I would imagine the only other culprit might be the Cisco TV gear from Virgin, both Sky and Virgin are a bit messy on the network always trying to own it, can't really segregate them as I like to watch it on all the things phone computers etc.

    I did just update the firmware on my switch I wonder if it has introduced something new that is doing this.

    Guess I need to go reading router and switch logs, fun times.
     
    Last edited: 16 May 2025
  4. Gareth Halfacree

    Gareth Halfacree WIIGII! Lover of bit-tech Administrator Super Moderator Moderator

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    It's hundo-per-cent not coming from the internet if it's really WOL. A WOL packet has to be sent to the broadcast address, so it won't leave its own subnet. You can forward stuff to make it work over the internet, but that's a very deliberate choice - not something that'd just accidentally happen in a firmware update.
    Nah, like I say: install Wireshark on the Gigabyte, set it listening to the Ethernet port, filter for WOL. When (if) a packet shows up, you'll know exactly where it came from.

    If a packet doesn't show up, then that ain't the problem.

    (It could be wake-on-activity, which is different. One of my machines had that: you didn't need a magic packet, it just listened out for anything intended for your machine's MAC and woke it up to deal with it. Not too common, I don't think, but it's definitely a thing.)
     
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  5. Fingers66

    Fingers66 Kiwi in London

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    What USB devices are plugged in to the Gigsbyte board? Wake on USB is a thing too.
     
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  6. sandys

    sandys Multimodder

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    So many things :D but nothing new and again disabling onboard LAN adapters stops the behavior so this seems to be the culprit.

    oh apart from my new gamebuds RF adaptor, I'll check that out, I'm sure the behaviour started before I installed these, though at the same time I disabled the NICs, I switched to work mode and so the RF adaptor also came off the games machine to my work machine on my USB switch.
     
  7. Gareth Halfacree

    Gareth Halfacree WIIGII! Lover of bit-tech Administrator Super Moderator Moderator

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    Bet you that's the culprit.
     
  8. sandys

    sandys Multimodder

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    Not had time to look in to this properly yet but have moved the RF dongle to the USB ports that aren't on when PC is in standby and turned the LAN ports back on to see if the problem goes away.

    Had a little internet search is seems that people on Linux and Mac are complaining about WOL not working with these Marvell AQtion 10g NICs, so the reverse problem.

    At driver level it has the following options, only the first one an pattern match are enabled but no clear message as to what they mean, if the machine fires I will disable those next.

    [​IMG]
     
  9. sandys

    sandys Multimodder

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    Nope it fired up 3 hrs ago, so not the new USB thing.

    Disabled all the WOL stuff in the driver, fingers crossed, this apparently break modern standby from what I have read but I don't use that stuff.

    Will install wireshark when I next go on it and see if I can trace the culprit.
     
    Last edited: 17 May 2025
  10. Cheapskate

    Cheapskate Insane? or just stupid?

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    I had a rig that would wake from glitches in the power. -Probably not helpful to add to your list of culprits...
     
  11. sandys

    sandys Multimodder

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    Since turning all the WOL stuff off in the advanced tab software switches of the driver it has not come back on but not much time has passed, early days, so fingers crossed that is it, but I have the machine on all day today with wire shark on see if I can trace the offending signal.

    I'm on a UPS so power issues should not exist. :)
     
  12. sandys

    sandys Multimodder

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    WOL magic packets are coming from an Apple device in the house, that is doing a broadcast, I've been wanting an excuse to ban Apple devices from my house, now is time :D

    Now to figure out what my daughter has bloody installed as it is just one Apple device.
     
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  13. sandys

    sandys Multimodder

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    Unfairly blamed my daughter, she of course ditched Apple for Samsung as its has better pen software for her studies.

    It's the missus, she can go with along with her iPad, problem solved :D

    Now to find some software that can tell me what app is doing it on the iPad, My suspicion is AppleTV as there are packets going to my LGTV which we use her Apple account on.
     
    Last edited: 18 May 2025
  14. sandys

    sandys Multimodder

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    It is all the Apple devices after all, just diifferent times that are sending WOL magic packets, I will isolate the fruit themed stuff into their own orchard where they can only abuse themselves, or put them in the IoT bucket.
     
    Last edited: 18 May 2025
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  15. sandys

    sandys Multimodder

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    Ok monitored the network on another machine whilst the big machine was off, what I should have done in the first place of course :D plenty of WOL magic packets were sent and the big machine remained off, yay, so disabling the driver WOL switches has done the trick, still no response from Gigabyte on the non functioning bios WOL switch :( but at least I have a solution. :)
     
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  16. wyx087

    wyx087 Multimodder

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    Are all those WOL packets from Apple devices? How do they know which MAC address to target?
     
  17. sandys

    sandys Multimodder

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    Yes it is just Apple doing it, it's a broadcast to the whole network, not got it with me right now but to something like FF:FF:FF:FF but there is also another broadcast with destination to LGInnotek device which is the LG smart TV, which I guess the iPad/iPhone knows because both are signed into Apple TV.
     
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  18. sandys

    sandys Multimodder

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    Initially it was surprising to see so many machines doing it and I couldn’t find them but of course realised randomised MAC addresses were the thing sending me on a Goose chase. :D
     

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