Broadcast messages not working

[Freedonia]

We experienced a server hard drive crash on our SYS volume. The disaster recovery backup software didn't work so we had to do a fresh install of our Novell file server. The NDS was copied to this server from our Groupwise server.

The Groupwise server is the Master server of the two.

We have noticed that users don't get any broadcast messages anymore. Our backup software, which used to tell use when a job was done, doesn't notify use. If a Windows user hits the Start button on their workstation and choses the Run..., they were able to send another user a message by typing: send "insert message" to username. This doesn't work either.

Does anyone have any ideas what I could check/change to correct this.

Almost forgot, NetWare 4.11 with SP9.

TIA,
Dave

 

[DrGreen26]

You may want to look at a previous autoexec.ncf and startup.ncf and make sure you are not missing anything. Since you went through the pain of reinstalling form scratch, my guess is that you are missing some application that use to reside out on the public drive.

Have to remember that when the run command is issued, it will look at the local hard drive as well as any SEARCH drives on netware for the particular application etc.

AS for the backup, you may want to review the settings to make sure that it is setup to notify users of the backup etc. Not sure how you would turn this on, but I am sure in your documentation there should be instructions on enabling this feature.

HTH Mark C. Greenwood, CNE
m_jgreenwood@yahoo.com

With more than 10 years experience to share.

 

[Freedonia]

Thanks for the suggestion. I will try to restore those files from before the crash, to a different location, so I can compare them.

I talked with the consultant that helped us and he thought there was an alert program that we didn't install but we actually did.

The backup program is ArcServer 6.1.

The printers won't even send a message to let a person know when it is out of paper.

I don't think it would have something to do with an ArcServer setting but one never knows.

Thanks,
Dave

 

[DrGreen26]

If I remember there is a broadcastr setting on each Novell server. I forget where it is located, but there is one to turn broadcast messages on and off. If you go into Monitor and scroll through the settings you should find the option to send out broadcast messages.

Mark C. Greenwood, CNE
m_jgreenwood@yahoo.com

With more than 10 years experience to share.

 

[Freedonia]

After search on the Novell site and searching through Novell books and the Server parameter settings in the Console Monitor, I finally found out what the problem was.

When loading NWAdmin, in the detail of a user there is an 'Environment' button. Under Environment, there is a default server field. This field was blank, thus when I use the 'send ---- to username', I would get the message that the user didn't have a default server listed. After enetering a default server, that user was able to send and receive the messages.

As for our backup software, there was a setting buried deep in the program that defaulted to turn the user messages off. Once I turned them on, I was getting update messages from the program.

Dave

 

[DrGreen26]

Cool...glad my info helped to point you in the right direction.

Mark C. Greenwood, CNE
m_jgreenwood@yahoo.com

With more than 10 years experience to share.