Windows Forum

Ask something
Discussion Locked

Shutdown Notification

0 helpful
8 replies

by analyticus

Closed to new repliesThis discussion is closed. It stays readable, but it takes no new replies.

When I shutdown my Unix machine I can have it send a notification to all currently logged on users that the system is going down. I can even delay the shutdown to give the users time to wrap things up before it goes down, and include that in the message.

BUT... I'm looking for a tool like this for Windows NT 4.0. If I need to shut my server down in the middle of the day for some reason... I'd like to tell the folks on the network that it's going down, as opposed to just cutting them off from their resources, or spending countless hours spreading the message by phone and taking the chance of not getting to someone. I'd prefer a one-way communication channel. The network users don't need a chat/winpopup type of application. I don't needthem using their time talking to each other, just a way to get a notification out about server shutdown.
Does anybody know of such a thing?

8 replies

by syscokid

You could use the net send command. For example,

net send * The server will be shut down in 5 minutes. Please log off now.

That sends a message to everyone on your server. Not a chat or winpopup, just a dialog box.

by shanghai sam

Thanks for the help, but unfortunately this only works for the machines running NT. The machines running 98 don't receive the notification and that's the majority of my network.

by beermonster

The tool in NT for this is the net send command. From a command prompt, type net help send for syntax. Note that the messenger service must be running on the target machines. The net send command can target machines \ users or entire domains. It caneven be used to target users connected to the specific machine you run it from. Hope this helps...

by analyticus

Thanks, it works great for the NT machines. Unfortunately my W98 and W95 machines don't get the message.

by ð

another way is to use Server Manager which comes with NT server and can be found under admin. tools or the resource kit. highlight the server, goto the menu bar click on computer, send message, type in the message and everyone that's connected to that server will receive the message.

by analyticus

This is another great suggestion, but this too does not work with W98 and W95 unless the machines are running winpopup, but I don't want to give the users the chatting capability, they play around enough as it is.
Thanks for your suggestion.

by analyticus

I need something that will work with W98 and W95 machines as well as NT machines. net send and the server manager only send messages to other NT machines.

This discussion is closed to new replies.