28 5 Software Features
PXE / RPL Support
The SysKonnect SK-9Exx/9Sxx Gigabit Ethernet Server Adapter Family supports both the standard
PXE 2.1 (Pre-Boot eXecution Environment) and the protocol RPL (Remote Program Load). This al-
lows networked computers that are not yet loaded with an operating system to be configured and
booted remotely by an administrator. PXE resp. RPL grants the advantage that client machines do
not necessarily need an operating system or a hard disk and that they can be rebooted remotely in
the event of hardware or software failures.
Advanced Power Management / Wake on LAN
The SysKonnect SK-9Exx/9Sxx Gigabit Ethernet Server Adapter Family supports power manage-
ment as defined in the PCI Bus Power Management Interface Specification V1.1 and Network De-
vice Class Power Management Reference Specification V2.0. The power management features are
implemented according to the Advanced Configuration and Power Interface Specification V2.0.
The SysKonnect SK-9Exx/9Sxx Adapter utilizes an auxiliary power supply to keep some parts run-
ning. This setting enables the network device to “Wake on LAN”.
The Wake on LAN functionality uses three mechanisms to create a wake up event:
• OnNow Pattern Match Detect
Incoming packets are compared to up to seven patterns stored in a pattern matching table. A
match causes a wake up event.
• Magic Packet
TM
Detect
The incoming data stream is searched for a so-called magic packet frame that consists of 6
bytes of 0xFF followed by 16 iterations of the adapter’s MAC address. If this sequence is found,
a wake up event is created.
• Link Change Detect
Any change of the link status will cause a wake up event.
Wake on LAN is supported by Windows 98 SE, Windows Me, Windows 2000, Windows XP and
Windows Server 2003.
Reliability
The SysKonnect SK-9Exx/9Sxx Gigabit Ethernet Server Adapter Family comes with a variety of reli-
ability features. On-board sensors and driver functions help to monitor the health of adapters and
their ports enabling pro-active network management. The reliability features are described in the fol-
lowing sections.
Hot-Plug
As a member of the PCI Special Interest Group, SysKonnect has a long experience in the standard-
ization of the insertion and removal of PCI computer cards during normal operation. Like all SysKon-
nect Gigabit Ethernet Adapters, the SysKonnect SK-9Exx/9Sxx Adapters comply with the Hot-Plug
PCI standard. Hot-Plug enables the replacement of failed devices in a running system.