Messenger Service of Windows NT

ID: Q168893

The information in this article applies to:

SUMMARY

Using the Messenger Service in Windows NT gives you varying results that depend on the command options or interface you use to send messages. The method you use determines whether the message will be a local Broadcast or a directed datagram, and to which NetBIOS name the message will be sent.

For additional information, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q163409 NetBIOS Suffixes (16th Character of the NetBIOS Name)


MORE INFORMATION

NET SEND *

Sends out a broadcast to all registered users of the local domain <00> through each protocol on the sending computer. For example, a computer running Windows NT server with NWLINK, TCP/IP, and NetBEUI would send three broadcast messages to domain <00>. A user in the domain running all three protocols would receive three messages.

NET SEND /DOMAIN:NAME

Sends out a broadcast to the specified domain name <00> through each protocol on the sending machine. This functions the same as the NET SEND *, with the exception that you can choose a specific domain, instead of using your current logon domain.
NOTE: With NET SEND * and NET SEND /DOMAIN:NAME, only users on the local subnet that belong to the specified domain, will receive the message.
For additional information, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
Q150881 Local NetBIOS Name Query Broadcast Not Forwarded by Router

NET SEND NAME

Sends a directed message to the <03> NetBIOS entry for the user specified. The user receives only one message, and the normal methods for detecting NetBIOS names will be used.

For additional information, please see the following articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
Q119493 NetBIOS over TCP/IP Name Resolution and WINS

Q119490 How Routers Handle IPX Type 20 NetBIOS Packets

NET SEND /USERS

Sends a directed message to the <03> NetBIOS entry for the computer name of each session established with the server. You can view these connections through Server Manager. If a computer has three sessions open under Server Manager, then that computer will receive the message three times.

SERVER MANAGER - SEND MESSAGE

Send a directed message to the <03> NetBIOS entry for each computer connected to the server. Unlike the NET SEND /USERS, only one message will be sent to each connected computer, even if the computer has multiple sessions with the server. 


Keywords          : ntdomain ntnetserv ntdosap NTSrvWkst ntui ntutil 
Version           : WinNT:3.5,3.51,4.0
Platform          : winnt 
Issue type        : kbinfo

Last Reviewed: February 18, 1999