Presents your 
SQL SERVER E-NEWSLETTER for September 10, 2002
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ISSUE A NET SEND VIA XP_CMDSHELL FOR USER NOTIFICATION

Notifying users of an impending SQL Server shutdown is good practice for
maintaining user goodwill and keeping managers apprised of the
situation. A notification also allows users to inform you of critical business
needs that may require a delay in the shutdown itself.

The NET SEND Windows command can be issued to users connected to the
server to notify them of an impending server shutdown. NET SEND /users
parameter will notify all users who have a session on that server. The message
parameter can be up to 128 characters long, allowing for a short
message. To receive the message, the Messenger service on the user's client
machine must be running and the user must be logged onto the server.

To issue the NET SEND command, you can use the extended procedure
xp_cmdshell. The following script illustrates a NET SEND message:

exec master..xp_cmdshell 'net send /users "SQL Server is being shut down
in 20 minutes. Please log off within 15 minutes."'

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