Lesson 3:?Monitoring Network Users

You can also use the Computer Management snap-in or Shared Folders snap-in to monitor which users are currently accessing shared folder resources on a server from a remote computer, and you can view the resources to which the users have connections. You can disconnect users and send administrative messages to computers and users, including those not currently accessing network resources.

After this lesson, you will be able to

• Disconnect a specific user from his or her network connection
• Send administrative messages to users

Estimated lesson time: 20 minutes

Monitoring User Sessions

You can use the Computer Management snap-in or Shared Folders snap-in to view which users have a connection to open files on a server and the files to which they have a connection. This information enables you to determine which users you should contact when you need to stop sharing a folder or shut down the server on which the shared folder resides. You can disconnect one or more users to free idle connections to the shared folder, to prepare for a backup or restore operation, to shut down a server, or to change group membership and permissions for the shared folder.

You use the Sessions folder in the Computer Management snap-in or Shared Folders snap-in to view a list of the users with a current network connection to the computer that you are monitoring (see Figure 15.3).

Figure 15.3??Sessions folder of the Shared Folders snap-in

Table 15.5 describes the information that is available in the Sessions folder.

Table 15.5??Information Available in the Sessions Folder

Disconnecting Users

You can disconnect one or all users with a network connection to a computer so that you can do any of the following:

• Have changes to shared folder and NTFS permissions take effect immediately. A user retains all permissions for a shared resource that Windows XP Professional assigned when the user connected to it. Windows XP Professional evaluates the permissions again the next time that a connection is made.
• Free idle connections on a computer so that other users can make a connection when the maximum number of connections has been reached. User connections to resources might remain active for several minutes after a user finishes accessing a resource.
• Shut down a server.

You can disconnect a specific user as follows:

1. In the Computer Management console tree, under Shared Folders, click Sessions.
2. In the list of users in the details pane, select the user that you want to disconnect, and then, on the Action menu, click Close Session.

To prevent data loss, you should always notify users who are accessing shared folders or files that you are ready to stop sharing a folder or shut down the computer.

Sending Administrative Messages to Users

You can send administrative messages to one or more users or computers. Send them to users with a current connection to a computer on which network resources are shared to notify them when there will be a disruption to the computer or resource availability. Some common reasons for sending administrative messages are to notify users when you intend to do any of the following:

• Perform a backup or restore operation
• Disconnect users from a resource
• Upgrade software or hardware
• Shut down the computer

Use the Shared Folders snap-in to send administrative messages to users. By default, all currently connected computers to which you can send a message appear in the list of recipients. You can add other users or computers to this list even if they do not have a current connection to resources on the computer.

Practice:?Sending Console Messages

In this practice, you use the Shared Folders snap-in to send a console message.

To send a console message

1. In the console tree, under Shared Folders, select Shares.
2. On the Action menu, point to All Tasks, and then click Send Console Message.
3. In the Message box, type Log Off Now - Pro1 is shutting down in 5 minutes.

   If your computer is not connected to a network, you will notice that Send is unavailable and that the Recipients list box is empty.

4. Click Add.

   The Select Computer dialog box appears.

5. Type Pro1 in the Enter The Object Name To Select (Examples) text box.

   Pro1 should be the name of your computer. If you did not name your computer Pro1, type the name of your computer in the Recipients text box.

6. Click OK.

   Notice that Send is now available.

7. Click Send.

   A message box briefly appears, showing that the message is being sent, and then the Messenger Service dialog box appears, as shown in Figure 15.4. It confirms that a message was sent from Pro1 to Pro1, indicates the date and time the message was sent, and displays the message that was sent.

8. Click OK to close the Messenger Service dialog box.

Figure 15.4??Messenger Service dialog box

Lesson Review

The following questions will help you determine whether you have learned enough to move on to the next lesson. If you have difficulty answering these questions, review the material in this lesson before beginning the next lesson. The answers are in Appendix A, "Questions and Answers."

1. How can you determine which users have a connection to open files on a computer and the files to which they have a connection?
2. How can you disconnect a specific user from a file?
3. Why would you send an administrative message to users with current connections?
4. What can you do to prevent a user from reestablishing a network connection after you have disconnected that user from a shared folder?

Lesson Summary

• Use the Sessions folder in the Computer Management snap-in or Shared Folders snap-in to view which users have a connection to open files on a computer and the files to which they have a connection.
• Use the Sessions folder in the Computer Management snap-in or Shared Folders snap-in to disconnect a specific user or all users with a network connection to a computer.
• Use the Computer Management snap-in or Shared Folders snap-in to send administrative messages to one or more users or computers.