In my last post, I discussed the AutoAdministrator’s functions that enable you to query remote computers. Today, I will cover the remote execution functions: programs (processes), services, and shutdown/reboot.

Note: 4sysops readers get a discount on AutoAdministrator of $20 USD until the end of 2010, which means that you pay only $49 USD instead of the regular price of $69 USD. indicating that you are a 4sysops reader.

Remote execute programs

Remote process execution is another feature that was not available when I reviewed AutoAdministrator a while back. It enables you to execute all kinds of programs against remote computers, which is quite powerful since it allows you to leverage tools such as psexec and plink.

The former, as you probably know, enables you to execute processes remotely, whereas plink lets you run UNIX commands through SSH. So with this feature, you can issue SSH commands on any number of UNIX machines and see the output right in AutoAdministrator.

In the screenshot, you see how I executed the net time command, which returns the date and the time of the remote machines that are displayed in the results pane.

Remote execute Windows services

This function is certainly another highlight of AutoAdministrator. Managing system services on multiple machines is a feature that many expensive system management solutions lack. AutoAdministrator enables you to remotely query, start, stop, continue, pause, and restart services. Furthermore, you can configure the startup type remotely. You can use this feature, for example, to set the startup type of the Remote Registry service on all your machines to “automatic” to ensure that you can use all of the features of AutoAdministrator. It is also possible to remove services or to configure their logon account.

AutoAdministrator displays only services that are available on the computer where AutoAdministrator has been installed. However, if you want to remotely configure the services of third-party applications that are not installed on your PC, you can just enter the service name. You can find the service name in the Windows Service tool by accessing the service properties. Don’t confuse the service name with the service display name.

Remote shutdown/reboot

This function lets you shut down or reboot multiple computers in your network. You can configure a timeout period, after which the computers will shut down. AutoAdministrator will notify users with a message that you can customize. It is possible to force open applications to close, and you can also cancel shutdowns remotely.

My next post will outline AutoAdministrator’s remote editing features.

• Service Account best practices – Part 2: Least Privilege implementation (0)
• Service Account best practices Part 1: Choosing a Service Account (0)
• Raffle: ManageEngine Desktop Central – Part 2: Features (2)
• Raffle: ManageEngine Desktop Central – Part 1: Overview (0)
• FREE: Workspace Manager Express – A roaming user profiles alternative (0)

Actually, there is a free and a full edition available for download. Only the full edition supports Wake-Up features. Both editions are still in beta and the programmer has not yet published the price for the full edition. The tool was last updated six months ago. Perhaps, there will never be a final version. I experienced no problems when I tried MF Shutdown Manager. It seems to me that the full edition has no time restrictions.

What I like about the tool is its Relative Mode. It allows you to configure a countdown for a specific task. For instance, you can tell MF Shutdown Manager to change to Hibernate Mode in one hour, wake-up again two hours later, and launch a certain program. Unfortunately, you can’t tell MF Shutdown Manager to repeat an action within a certain time interval. This was the feature I was looking for. Perhaps you know such a tool? MF Shutdown Manager supports the scheduling of actions for a specific date and time. But this Absolute Mode also lacks the ability to schedule repeating tasks.

MF Shutdown Manager

• Raffle: ManageEngine Desktop Central – Part 2: Features (2)
• Raffle: ManageEngine Desktop Central – Part 1: Overview (0)
• FREE: Workspace Manager Express – A roaming user profiles alternative (0)
• Spiceworks installation guide (1)
• FREE: nspaces – Virtual Desktop Manager (3)

Here is the complete list from the help file:

• ALARM: Shows the Z-Alarm-clock window for 4 minutes. The sound will be played, otherwise than the command Z-ALARM, with the built-in speaker (NT/2000/XP).
• HANGUP: Disconnects an active Dialup connection.
• CLEANFILE: Time-controlled deleting of files which are older than XX days. You can set the age of the files in an input field in the task’s setup.
• CLEANUPDIR: Delete all files and subdirectories in the selected directory which are older than XX days. You can set the age of the files using an input field in the task’s setup. This command works recursive (Professional-version).
• CONNECT: Establish an internet connection with Dialup network connections (Modem/ISDN).
• COPYDIR: Copy a directory.
• COPYFILE: Copy file(s).
• DELETE: Delete file(s).
• DESTROY: This will destroy the window with the specified title.
• DYNIPMAIL: Discover dynamic IP-Address and send e-mail if it changes.
• EMPTY-TRASH: This will empty the window trash.
• GETURL: File download using HTTP protocol.
• HANGUP: Disconnect Dialup connection.
• HIBERNATE: Set computer to hibernate mode with the possibility to wake it up again after a certain period of time.
• INFO: Shows the saved info message on the screen for 4 minutes.
• KILL: Quits a program.
• LASTRUN: Start a program and shut down computer after it is finished.
• LOGOFF: Log out of the system.
• MAIL: Send e-mail with SMTP protocol.
• MESSAGE: Send message to a computer or workgroup (Messenger service, not related to Windows Messenger).
• MONITORON: Switch on monitor (Powersave).
• MONITOROFF: Switch off monitor (Powersave).
• MOVEDIR: Move directory/folder.
• MOVEFILE: Move file(s).
• NTPTIME: Synchronize system time with a NTP time server. You need access to a time server and must not use a firewall blocking UDP port 37 because time is adjusted using this port.
• PING: Command to send “PINGs” to an IP-Address to test a computer’s reaction time and availability.
• PLAY: Play the file with application registered for the type of file.
• REBOOT: Reboot computer.
• REMOTE-SHUTDOWN: Enables you to shut down a computer (Windwos NT, 2000 or XP professional) in your network.
• RMDIR: Deletes a directory.
• SCREENSAVEON: Switch on screensaver.
• SCREENSAVEOFF: Switch off screensaver.
• SELFTEST: Virus self test.
• SERVICE-RESTART: Restart selected system service.
• SERVICE-START: Starts the selected system service.
• SERVICE-STOP: Stops the selected system service.
• SERVICE-WATCH: Monitors the selected system service.
• SHUTDOWN: Shut down computer (Only Windows 2000/XP).
• SHUTDOWN-MESSAGE: Shut down computer (Only Windows 2000/XP) with alert message.
• STANDBY Sets the computer into Standby mode.
• TIMEMARK Write a timemark into the logfile.
• WATCH Monitors a program. If the monitored program “dies”, it will be restarted.
• WATCH-JOB Monitors a program. If the monitored program “dies”, Z-Cron start the indicated Z-Cron Job.
• WAVEPLAY Play a .wav file.
• Z-ALARM Shows the Z-Alarm-clock window for 4 minutes and plays the file Zcron.wav.

• Raffle: ManageEngine Desktop Central – Part 2: Features (2)
• Raffle: ManageEngine Desktop Central – Part 1: Overview (0)
• FREE: Workspace Manager Express – A roaming user profiles alternative (0)
• Spiceworks installation guide (1)
• FREE: nspaces – Virtual Desktop Manager (3)

Recently the air conditioning in our server room broke down. To escape the heat death all of our 30 servers increased their ventilation. It resulted to a blown fuse which enforced a shutdown of some servers after the UPS run out of power. We considered purchasing a temperature alerting system before, but the solutions we found were too expensive. We have three air conditionings, so I thought, the probability that they all break down at the same time is relatively low. Okay, I am a bit wiser now.

We found a very cheap solution for our problem: PCMeasure from better networks. We paid about 100 Euro for software and hardware. Although we only need it to measure the temperature in our server room, it also supports several other sensors for measuring humidity, voltage, contact, water, smoke, and motion.

PCMeasure can inform administrators by e-mail, SMS, SNMP-traps and syslog messages. Whenever the temperature in our server room exceeds a certain threshold, I receive an e-mail from it now.

You can run the software on Windows and Linux. The sensors can be connected to serial or parallel ports by using adapters. PCMeasure also enables you to centrally manage multiple measurement systems. If you don’t want to use a PC for every measurement point, you can use the Ethernetbox, a device that transmits the measured data to PCMeasure.

PCMeasure has a graphical and a web interface. The latter is quite useful, if you want to check the temperature or other physical values along the way. Now, if I realize that a server doesn’t respond, the first thing I check is the temperature in our server room, since I don’t trust our air conditioning anymore

• AutoAdministrator 2.3 – Part 3: Remote execute: Programs, services, shutdown/reboot (0)
• FREE: MF Shutdown Manager – Schedule shutdowns, restarts and wakeups (0)
• Z-Cron, a nice task planner for Windows XP/2003 (0)
• ID Shutdown Manager: shut down of multiple computers (0)
• Shutdown delay for Windows (1)

Microsoft offers a free command line tool for this purpose included in the Windows 2000 Resource Kit. The tool also works for Windows XP. You can download it here. There is also a GUI for program but it doesn’t allow you to shut down or reboot multiple machines. For this, you have to write a batch file using the command line version. We’ve been working with it for a while, and it is not 100 % reliable. Sometimes computers simply don’t respond to the shut down command.

Recently, I tested ID Shutdown Manager 2.5, a more sophisticated tool. It has a GUI that allows you to shut down and reboot multiple computers with one mouse click. You can send messages to users, execute programs on their machines and get system information of them with this tool. It supports Wake on LAN, too.

ID Shutdown Manager can also be controlled with a web interface, using a web server that supports CGI. The tool has been tested with Apache and Internet Information Server. I didn’t try this feature as I am not a fan of using a web browser as an application interface.

There are only two things which I dislike about ID Shutdown Manager. It is not for free and you have to install an agent on all machines you want to control with it. Installing the agents is not a big deal though as you can do this remotely using its GUI.

Five licenses of ID Shutdown Manager cost $9.99, 50 licenses $74.99. Considering that ID Shutdown Manager includes simple software deployment the price is not too bad in my view.

• Raffle: ManageEngine Desktop Central – Part 2: Features (2)
• Raffle: ManageEngine Desktop Central – Part 1: Overview (0)
• FREE: Workspace Manager Express – A roaming user profiles alternative (0)
• Spiceworks installation guide (1)
• FREE: nspaces – Virtual Desktop Manager (3)

• AutoAdministrator 2.3 – Part 3: Remote execute: Programs, services, shutdown/reboot (0)
• FREE: MF Shutdown Manager – Schedule shutdowns, restarts and wakeups (0)
• Z-Cron, a nice task planner for Windows XP/2003 (0)
• PCMeasure: measure temperature, smoke, water and other physical values in your server room (0)
• ID Shutdown Manager: shut down of multiple computers (0)