Tip #2128 - Net Send Lite
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Net
Send Lite
I remember being in
some of my tech classes in college when everyone would send messages around
to the other students using Net Send commands. Net Send is a lightweight
TCP/IP messaging service that you can use with minimal setup, if any,
to text people on the local network and beyond. It’s a command line
tool, so you were usually running it from the DOS window with a syntax
that would look something like this:
Chad>NET SEND 192.168.1.2 “message
body”
I love the service,
but I hesitated to put it up as a tip, because I thought it was a little
techy for our readers. Not that it’s overly difficult or anything,
I just like to stay away from command line tools if at all possible and
prefer to showcase downloads and tips that utilize a graphical interface.
That’s why I’m
happy to bring to you today a graphic net send tool that gives you the
benefits of the NET SEND command without the dry monochrome command line
characters that drives people away in herds. Net Send Lite
is a freeware version of a more robust registered full-featured program
from RJL software.
With Net Send Lite,
you can send text messages around the home network in seconds. I know
people who use instant messenger to talk with people in their own homes.
There’s nothing wrong with that, but it takes up system resources
and the message, in most cases, is leaving your network to go to some
server resolving the other account info and coming back to the local network.
That’s a lot of unneccary traffic and overhead just to send probably
a simple message. With Net Send, messages never leave the local network,
which means the transmission is faster and the lightweight interface won’t
drag on your system.
Besides the install
and some basic setup, this program is one of the easiest programs I’ve
ever used, and the end users (i.e. family, roommates or neighbors pirating
your WiFi - just kidding) shouldn’t have to do anything, but enjoy
your cool program.
Take a look at the
same Net Send message above sent with Net Send Lite:
Now isn’t that
so much nicer than a DOS window? Yuk.
Before you start flooding
your network with messages, there are a couple of things you need to do:
1.)
You need to enable the messenger service within Windows.
This service is normally shut down and should be left, because of the
vulnerability in the service that spammers regularly exploit. So I will
stress this: Do not enable the messenger
service if you do not have a hardware firewall such as a router in place
to protect you from unwanted outside traffic. If
you do have a router in place with the firewall protection enabled, then
this procedure shouldn’t cause you any issues at all.
Enabling you
Messenger Service:
· Open up Control
Panel and select Administrative Tools (may be
under Maintenance and Perfomance depending on the windows
view you are using).
· From here find and select Services.
· From the Services Window, find the messenger service
and right-click it and select properties from the menu.
· From the messenger properties window, go to the Start up type
pull down and set it to automatic, select Apply.
· Start button will be available after this is
applied. Select this to start the messenger service.
· Close all
Windows and you're done.
· This must be done on every PC you wish to communicate with using
Net Send Lite.
2.)
The second thing you have to do is set the computer names up in the program.
· You can find the computer name by going to System Properties
(in Control Panel) and selecting the Computer Name Tab.
You will find the name of that system here.
· Enter this name in as the Send to Value, of
Net Send Lite edit menu and you can use any descriptive name in the Display
Name field.
· Do this for every system in the network and you are all set.
It may sound a little tough, but it’s not, believe me it’s
not!
Hope you enjoy the download! See ya next week!
~Chad Stelnicki
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