Magic Packet Revolutionizes Remote PC Wake-Up

Strategic Insights -

A new technology, Magic Packet, has been unveiled by Hewlett-Packard and Advanced Micro Devices, allowing network administrators to remotely wake up sleeping "Green" PCs. This feature has been a long-standing challenge for network administrators, requiring physical presence at the node to turn it on, a labor-intensive task, especially in large networks. Magic Packet enables this function in seconds using simple software commands from a central management console.

Key Takeaways:

  • Magic Packet is a low-cost solution for network administrators to remotely wake up "Green" PCs, effectively meeting the industry's need for this feature.
  • HP was the first major desktop vendor to include network-ready features in their PCs in 1992, and they expect to continue this tradition by incorporating Magic Packet in their network-ready PC product line and PC network management solutions later this year.
  • AMD has implemented Magic Packet on its PCnet-ISA II single-chip Ethernet controller, adding no additional cost to the part.
  • A Magic Packet is a protocol-independent Ethernet frame sent to a single network node, recognized by the Ethernet controller and automatically waking up the entire PC.
  • The two companies are actively enlisting the support of prominent hardware and software companies to make Magic Packet an industry standard.
  • HP and AMD believe that Magic Packet eliminates the conflict between power management and network management, making it a "must-have" feature in every Green PC on the network.
  • Magic Packet is expected to be added as a standard feature on all of AMD's PCnet, single-chip Ethernet devices in the future.

Statistics:

  • 98,200 employees: HP's workforce as of the 1994 fiscal year.
  • $25 billion: HP's revenue in the 1994 fiscal year.
  • 1992: The year HP introduced network-ready features in their PCs, making them the first major desktop vendor to do so.
  • "Green PC" PCs: Those PCs that conserve power by being shut down when not in use.

Sources:

  • "Magic Packet Revolutionizes Remote PC Wake-Up" Business Wire, March 27, 1995
  • Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. Company Profile