Broadcasting messages to other users on the LAN

[Susan Smith]

Hi all,

Does anyone know anything about broadcasting messages to others users on a LAN - by choosing specific users AND also by broadcasting to ALL users?

I'm trying to figure out a way - hopefully from within BR - to allow my user to broadcast alert messages, such as "Backup will begin in 10 minutes" or "Posting in Process" or "Please exit the Accounting application. System will shut down at 4:30pm". In some cases, messages may pertain to selected users only, and other times it may be applicable to everyone. I'd love to specify users by Login Name, but any method would be better than none.

Do any of you do this currently - from within BR? Or even from outside of BR? This client is running on Windows 2003 server R2.

-- Susan

[Susan Smith]

I should have also mentioned that all of the workstations are running Windows XP Pro. Not sure what service pack - at least 2 and probably 3

-- Susan

[rmills]

There is a windows command called NET that you can use to do this type of thing. It's a windows system command and the format of the command would look something like this:

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net send (machine ip | user name) "message text"

or to send a general broadcast:

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net send * "message text"

It uses the windows messenger service. This service can be disabled or stopped which results in the message-text being refused and returning an error.

To test the service you can send yourself a test message like this:

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net send 127.0.0.1 "hello!"

If a pop-up window appears with hello! then your service is up and running.

HTH,

Ryan.

[Susan Smith]

Thanks Ryan. I am familiar with NET SEND, but in this case I'd have to write an BR "wrapper" around it because my user wants to easily select the users (or all) to send to and NET SEND is pretty cryptic for folks who aren't all that computer savvy.

But David pointed me toward another product that seems to be exactly what we're looking for. It's called OfficePopup and runs without an internet or Windows messenger connection and has all of the features that we're looking for.

When you want to create a new message, it presents you with a checkbox list of users who are also logged into to program (we'd install it on all workstations and have it running at startup) and you can just "select all" or else select the individual users to send to. It even lets you configure some people as "receive only" if you have a concern about employees chatting away all day with each other instead of being productive. It's quite inexpensive to buy and has a free 30 day trial.

I fired the trial up on my laptop and desktop and have been chatting at myself I think I'll recommend this to my client. It seems to be exactly what they want/need.

In case anyone else is interested in checking it out, the URL is:
http://www.officepopup.com/index.html

-- Susan