Can I use a network card with WOL support on a Asus P4S8X motherboard
(yes I know I should have got the P4S8X-X which already has
this!!!)??? I can't seem to find the three pin connector for the wake
cable... But saying this, when the computer is off, the network card
is still on and blinking...
Thanks
Steve
http://usa.asus.com/prog/spec.asp?m=P4S8X-X&langs=09
http://usa.asus.com/prog/spec.asp?langs=09&m=P4S8X
If you compare the specs of the two boards, they both list
WOL/WOR on those pages. The boards both support PCI 2.2 spec
and I think that means the WOL is a signal called PME on
the PCI slot. You need a LAN card that uses the PME signal
to implement the wake up function. There is an entry in
the BIOS called "Power Up on PCI Device" and it is possible
that the PME signal is tied to this BIOS function (not
100% sure).
There are two ways to do WOL. Older PCI LAN cards have a
three pin header and cable, that connects to the motherboard.
The motherboard has to have a matching header for this
feature to work. The newer way puts the required signal on
a pin called PME (Power Management Event) on the PCI edge
card. No cable is required with the LAN card in this case.
Unfortunately, motherboards tend not to support both methods
at the same time (3 pin header and the PCI slot feature), so
when buying a LAN card, you have to make sure the LAN card
matches whatever method the motherboard uses. I believe I've
seen one LAN card that supports both methods. If you examine
the bargain bin at your local computer store, most LAN cards
will use the older method, so you may have to search a bit
to find the PCI 2.2 PME pin method.
You might also investigate whether the onboard LAN interface
supports the WOL function. The available info on SIS
Southbridges is here, but doesn't go into any detail. The
Onboard Ethernet may be described as "SIS900", and it is
probably faster to test it than to research whether it will
work or not
http://www.sis.com/products/chipsets/southbridge/96x.htm
HTH,
Paul
