smbsend (1)
Samba-TNG
7 Oct 2003
NAME
smbsend - Send SMB ("WinPopup") messages to remote computers
SYNOPSIS
smbsend [-F from] [-T to] [-m message] [-f file] [-s smb.conf] [-R resolve order] [-d debug] [-i scope] [-n sender] (host|user)...
DESCRIPTION
smbsend sends a SMB (also known as "WinPopup") message to one or
more remote computers. These are text messages that show up in pop-up
dialog windows, if a remote computer is running Windows NT, 2000, XP,
or 2003, or (if configured appropriately) Windows95/98/Me. Samba and
Samba-TNG can receive SMB messages as well, if so configured. This is
the equivalent to Microsoft's NET SEND command, but a lot more
powerful.
In the simplest usage, type smbsend host to send a message to
a computer named HOST. It will prompt for the message, or accept
standard input noninteractively.
OPTIONS
- -F from
- Sets the "sender" field of the message packet.
This shows up as the "from" part of "Message from [someone] to
[someone]" in the Windows dialog box. Default is the local machine
name, as in Windows NET SEND.
- -T to
- Sets the "receiver" field of the message packet. This
shows up as the "to" part of the "Message from [someone] to [someone]"
in the Windows dialog box. Default is the remote computer or username
you are sending the message to, as in Windows NET SEND.
- -m message
- Specifies the message text; note that if this text
has spaces or metacharacters, it must be quoted to protect it from the
shell; smbsend must see it as only a single argument. This is a
convenience option, equivalent to piping an echo statement into
smbsend (except for the trailing newline generated by echo), but a
bit less awkward. Mutually exclusive with -f.
- -f file
- Specify an input file for the message text.
By default, the message is input from stdin, either interactively or
not. Mutually exclusive with -m.
- hosts | users
- The list of destinations to send a
message. You must have at least one of these. You may specify either
NetBIOS hostnames, or names of logged-in users, since most Windows
releases will listen for SMB messages under both identifiers. Note
that in the case where the same user is logged in to multiple hosts,
specifying the username here will only send to the first such host
found.
In case of ambiguity between a hostname and username that are the
same, Windows 2000 and above also listen as the NetBIOS name
HOSTNAME$, so you may specify that instead. (Be sure to escape
the $ from the shell.) There is, unfortunately, no similar trick
for disambiguating a username from a hostname.
There are a few advanced options as well; these are not typically
needed, and exist mainly for completeness and consistency with
smbclient(1).
- -s smb.conf
- Specify an alternate smb.conf file. This
file is read to obtain defaults for networking options, the sender
NetBIOS name, and so forth.
- -R resolve order
- Override the name resolve order for NetBIOS
names. See the name resolve order parameter in
smb.conf(5) for syntax and
allowed values.
- -d debug
- Override the debug specification from smb.conf.
This can be a simple number for a "debug level", or a more complex
string. See the debug level documentation in
smb.conf(5) for syntax and allowed
values.
- -i scope
- Set a NetBIOS scope. Scopes were a primitive way to
partition the global NetBIOS namespace, never very common and almost
nonexistent today.
- -n sender
- Override the NetBIOS sender name. This option
differs from -F in that the latter is the sender name
specified inside the SMB "message" packet (which is what shows up in
the Windows dialog box), whereas -n specifies the sender name used
at the NetBIOS level to make the connection.
BUGS
Not really a bug, but in the case of multiple message destinations,
smbsend really should parallelize itself. As it is, it can take
quite a bit longer that would be strictly necessary.
VERSION
Last revised for Samba-TNG 0.4.
SEE ALSO
smb.conf(5),
smbclient(1)
AUTHOR
Peter Samuelson.