About the net Command

You can perform many SunLink Server administrative tasks by using the net command with any of its various options at the SunLink Server command prompt. Complete descriptions of the net command options are in Table 2-3.

The following sections summarize the net command and its options that are available from the SunLink Server prompt, and describe syntax and usage conventions.

Administering Local and Remote Servers

When you administer a server while you are working at the server command prompt, that server is called the local server. If you are administering a server from the command prompt of another server, the server being administered is called the remote server.

Some of your network client computer users may be designated as account operators, print operators, or server operators. These users have limited administrative or operator privileges that enable them to perform specific tasks. These privileges are sufficient to use the net command to administer a local server at the SunLink Server command prompt.

However, to use the net command to administer a remote SunLink Server computer, you must be logged in to the SunLink Server computer as an administrator with full administrative privileges. If you have different operators responsible for parts of your network and you do not want to assign them full administrative privileges, then they must work only at the SunLink Server command prompt of the server being administered.

How to Administer a Local SunLink Server Computer

To administer a local SunLink Server computer using the net command:

1. Log in to the Solaris system that is running the SunLink Server software.

2. At the Solaris system prompt, log in to the network as Windows NTadministrator or as a user with Windows NT administrative privileges by typing the following command:

   net logon username password

3. Enter the appropriate net command.

   See a complete listing of net command options in the section, "SunLink Server net Command Options".

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   Note -

   Remember to log off when you are finished administering the SunLink Server computer by entering the net logoff command.

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How to Administer a Remote SunLink Server Computer

To perform server administrative tasks using the net command remotely, use the net admin command and the appropriate net command for the task. (Note that Step 2 of the following procedure describes two ways of entering the net admin command.)

To enter a net command remotely:

1. Log in to the network as administrator or as a user with administrative privileges. (Operator privileges are not sufficient to perform this procedure.)

2. Enter the net admin command using one of the following methods:

   • Enter a separate net admin command for each net command you want to execute. For example, to display statistics for a server named account, type the following:

     net admin \\account /command net statistics server

   This method is useful for batch files.

   • Enter a net admin command followed by multiple net commands. For example, to execute multiple net commands on a server named payroll, type the following:

     net admin \\payroll /command

     This creates an administrative command shell from which you subsequently can issue net commands. The prompt changes to include the name of the server you are remotely administering; for example, \\payroll.

     Any net command that you type at this prompt is executed on the server that you specify. For example, at the prompt, type:

     [\\payroll] net share

     [\\payroll] net print

     where \\payroll is the prompt, and net share and net print are the commands.

3. To exit the command shell and return to the system prompt, type exit or press CTRL+Z.

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   Note -

   You can use net commands that take a domain or computer name as an option for administering remote servers. This type of administration can be performed directly at the Solaris system command prompt without using the net admin command. For example, to display local groups on a remote domain named market_dom, you would type: net localgroup /domain:market_dom

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Paging Through Screens

Some displays provide more than one screen full of information. For example, the following command provides several screens of information on the net share command:

net help share /options

To display information one screen at a time, use the more command; for example:

net help share /options | more

After you have examined one screen of information and are ready to proceed, press the Spacebar to display the next screen of text.

Using Passwords With Commands

Some commands require a password as an option. You can provide a password as a command option by typing the password on the same line as the command itself. For example, to log on to the network with the user name jim and the password kahuna, you would type:

net logon jim kahuna

You can also ask the SunLink Server computer to prompt you for your password, replacing the password with an asterisk (*) when you type the command.

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Note -

In the Solaris operating environment, the asterisk (*) is a special character and must be preceded by a backslash (\).

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For example, to use the same resource described above, type:

net logon jim \*

The SunLink Server software then displays the following message:

Type your password:

When you enter a password at this prompt, the password does not appear on the screen as you type. This allows you to keep your password confidential, providing added security.

If you forget to type a password with a command that requires one, the SunLink Server software prompts you for it. Depending on the command that you type, the SunLink Server software also may prompt you for other pertinent information, such as your user name.

Using Command Confirmation

Some net commands require confirmation. The /yes and /no options help expedite net commands. When SunLink Server software reads one of these options, it does not pause to display the corresponding prompt. Instead, it accepts the /yes or /no option as your response to the prompt.

You can use net commands with /yes (/y) and /no (/n) options to create batch files and shell scripts that are not interrupted by SunLink Server prompts.

For example, if you use the net logoff command to log off the local area network with connections to remote shared resources intact, SunLink Server software displays a prompt similar to the following:

You have the following remote connections:

LPT1

Continuing will cancel the connections.

Do you want to continue this operation? (Y/N) [Y]:

You can use the /yes and /no options with any net command to anticipate and respond to a prompt. For example, you are not prompted for confirmation when you type the following:

net logoff /yes

Using Abbreviations

The command reference pages in this chapter always use the full command names, command options, and service names. However, SunLink Server software recognizes abbreviations.

You can abbreviate any command option by typing enough letters to distinguish it from other command options. For example, the following is the syntax for the net accounts command:

net accounts [/forcelogoff:{minutes|no }] [/minpwlen:length] [/maxpwage:{days|unlimited}][/minpwage:days] [/uniquepw:number]

You can abbreviate the options, as illustrated in the following example:

net accounts /f:10 /minpwl:6 /ma:unlimited /minpwa:7 /u:3

You cannot abbreviate option values (for example, the unlimited option value for /maxpwage).

Using Special Characters With Commands

Some of the names or passwords that you need to enter may contain one or more special characters; for example, an ampersand (&). When you are at the Solaris system command prompt typing a name with a special character in a SunLink Server command, you must use an escape character (the backslash [ \ ]) before each special character. If you are at a client computer, you can surround the string containing the special characters in double quotation marks.

For example, to log in with the user name marksp and the password mrkt&dev from the system command prompt, you would type the following:

net logon marksp mrkt\&dev

Some commonly used Solaris system special characters include the following: asterisk (*); semicolon (;); pipe (|); square brackets ([ ]); parentheses [( )]; question mark (?); ampersand (&); caret (^); backslash (\); greater-than and less-than signs (< >); blank ( ) and the "at" sign (@).

There are other Solaris special characters that you may encounter. For more information on special characters, consult your Solaris system documentation.

Typing Path Names With Solaris System net Commands

The Solaris system uses a forward slash to separate names in a path. This is different from client computers, which use backslashes. Note, however, that the great majority of commands will work with either forward or backward slashes.

When typing path names at a Solaris system command prompt, you can use any of the following methods:

• Single forward slashes - Separate each element of the path with single forward slashes, like this:

net share tmpshare=c:/tmp /us:10 /r:"Share for temporary use"

• Double backslashes - Separate each element of the path with double backslashes, like this:

net share tmpshare=c:\\tmp /us:10 /r:"Share for temporary use"

• Single quotation marks - Separate each element of the path with single backslashes and surround the whole path in single quotation marks, like this:

net share 'tmpshare=c:\tmp' r:"Share for temporary use"

When including spaces in values, you may want to enclose the value in double quotation marks. For example, to change the comment for the domain guests group, you would type the following command:

net group "domain guests" /comment: "All domain guests"

Typing Path Names at Client Computers

Client computer operating systems, such as Windows 95 and Windows NT, use backslashes to separate names in paths. For example:

net use f: \\product\data

Understanding Command Syntax

Directions in man pages for using SunLink Server commands will be easier to understand and use if you keep the following concepts in mind:

• When an option is enclosed in braces ({}), the option is a required item in the syntax statement. For example, {yes|no} indicates that you must specify yes or no when using the command.

• When an option is enclosed in brackets ([ ]), it is an optional item in the syntax statement. For example, [password] indicates that a password may be used with the command, if desired.

• When a vertical bar (|) separates items within braces or brackets, only one of the options must be used. For example, {/hold | /release | /delete} indicates that only one of the three options must be used.

• When an ellipsis (...) appears in a syntax statement, it indicates that you can repeat the previous item(s). For example, /route: devicename [, ...] indicates that you can specify more than one device, putting a comma between the device names.

• Be sure to type slashes (/), backslashes (\), commas (,), double quotation marks (" "), equal signs (=), colons (:), semicolons (;), and asterisks (*) as they are shown.

• Replace the pound sign (#) with a number.

• At the Solaris system command prompt, you must type net commands in lowercase letters.

• When you finish typing a command, press Enter (or Return). If you are typing a long command string, do not press Enter when your cursor gets to the edge of your screen; the cursor will "wrap around" and continue on the next line of your screen. Press Enter only after you finish typing the entire command string.

Getting Help on net Commands

Online help is available for all of the net commands that you can enter at the server command prompt. It provides command parameters, syntax, details about a command, and examples of the command in use.

To obtain information about a net command option, type one of the following commands at the SunLink Server system prompt.

Table 2-2 Help on net Commands

Command	Description
net help	Names of available net commands.
net help command	Description, syntax, and options for net commands.
net command /help	Description, syntax, and options for net commands.
net command /?	Syntax only for net commands.
net help command /options	Detailed description of the options of the command you selected.

SunLink Server net Command Options

The following table includes descriptions of the SunLink Server net command options that are available at the SunLink Server command prompt.

Table 2-3 SunLink Server net Command Options

Command	Description
net access	Displays or modifies resource permissions on servers. Use this command only for displaying and modifying permissions on pipes and printer queues. Use net perms for managing permissions on all other types of resources.
net accounts	Displays the role of servers in a domain and displays or modifies password and login user requirements.
net admin	Runs a SunLink Server command or starts a command processor on a remote server.
net auditing	Displays and modifies the auditing settings of a resource.
net browser	Displays the list of domains that are visible from a local server or the list of computers that are active in a domain.
net computer	Displays or modifies the list of computer accounts in a domain. This command also can be entered as the following: net computers
net config	Displays the controllable services that are running.
net config server	Displays or changes settings for the server service while it is running.
net continue	Reactivates suspended services when typed at a server, and reactivates shared printers that have been disabled by net pause when typed at a client computer.
net device	Displays list of device names and controls shared printers. When used without options, this command displays the status of all shared printers at the specified server. When used with the printername option, this command displays only the status of the specified printer.
net file	Displays the names of all open shared files and the number of file locks, if any, on each file. You can also use this command to close shared files. When used without options, this command lists all of the open files at a server. You can also type this command as net files.
net group	Adds, displays, or modifies global groups. This command also can be typed as net groups.
net help	Provides lists of network commands and topics for which you can get help, or provides help for a specific command or topic.
net helpmsg	Provides help for a network error message.
net localgroup	Adds, displays, or modifies local groups in domains. You can also type this command as net localgroups.
net logoff	Logs off a user name from the network.
net logon	Logs in a user name to the server and sets the user name and password for the user's client. If you do not specify a user name with this command, the default user name will be your Solaris system login name.
net password	Changes the password for a user account on a server or in a domain.
net pause	Suspends services or disables printers at a server. (Note: After you have followed the instructions in Chapter 4 of this guide to set up your Solaris printer, establish it as a SunLink Server shared printer, and make it available to your Microsoft Windows clients, do not use the net pause command as a method to pause the print queue. That command is interpreted by SunLink Server software as a command to disable the printer rather than merely to pause the queue. Instead, to pause the queue by way of the command line, use the net print /hold command.)
net perms	Displays or modifies resource permissions and ownership information on servers. The resources on which this command currently operates are shares, directories, and files.
net print	Displays or controls print jobs and printer queues; also sets or modifies options for a printer queue. (See the note in the net pause section.)
net send	Sends a message to connected client computers.
net session	Lists or disconnects sessions between a server and clients. When used without options, this command displays information about all of the sessions with the local server. You can also type this command as net sessions.
net share	Creates, deletes, modifies, or displays shared resources. Use this command to make a resource available to clients. When used without options, this command displays information about all of the resources being shared on the server.
net sid	Performs translations between account names and their corresponding security identifiers (SIDs).
net start	Starts a service or, if used without options, displays a list of services that are running. The services that you can start are Alerter, Computer Browser, Directory Replicator, EventLog, Net Logon, Netrun, Server, Time Source, and WINS.
net statistics	Displays or clears the statistics log.
net status	Displays a server's computer name, configuration settings, and a list of shared resources.
net stop	Stops a network service.
net time	Synchronizes the client's clock with that of a server or domain, or displays the time for a server or domain.
net trust	Establishes and breaks trust relationships between domains, and lists trust information for a specified domain.
net user	Adds, modifies, or deletes user accounts or displays user account information.
net version	Displays version of network software currently running on the computer at which the command is issued.
net view	Displays list of servers or displays resources being shared by a server.