[allen2]

jaclaz, on 20 March 2013 - 03:28 AM, said:

allen2, on 20 March 2013 - 12:28 AM, said:

.... you'll have scheduled tasks working properly instead of the lousy "at" (which was "enough" when there weren't anything beside it).

Just to utterly disagree: when it works, AT works alright. (and no it's not a truism)

And the Task Scheduler in NT 4.00 (besides the IE related issues) is far from "perfect":
http://www.piclist.c.../winnt/cron.htm

Relying on an "external" machine to run tasks (if they are "critical") represent a good way to invite Murphy's Law at dinner for a live demonstration

Another day, another tool/approach (scheduled unlock) :
http://www.softtreet.../archive/51.htm


jaclaz

Why are you always trying to find the bad side to every solution someone other than you can provide ?
There is something called Job scheduler software and it seem quite interesting how software companies disagree with you as they decided to create a lot of professional applications to run critical tasks and those critical tasks are operated usually from one central server (sometimes more than one for redundancy).
In fact i think you just love to disagree with everyone (so of course you'll disagree with me on this point).
"At" service doesn't come with a logging facility (eventlogs or plain file like scheduled taks in 200/xp/2003) to allow debugging so i can't call something like this a mission critical tool to run tasks !
Edit : spelling mistakes

This post has been edited by allen2: 20 March 2013 - 01:37 PM

[jaclaz]

allen2, on 20 March 2013 - 01:35 PM, said:

Why are you always trying to find the bad side to every solution someone other than you can provide ?

Actually I was trying to defend poor, old AT.EXE that it seemed to me you were bad mouthing.
Of course it is not the best thing that was ever invented, but as said, when it worked and within it's limits, it has been working alright.

That's all.

And SCHTASKS and Task Manager have as well more than one quirk, guess why exactly there are so many third-party providers for "Job scheduler software" , not only "centralized".

allen2, on 20 March 2013 - 01:35 PM, said:

There is something called Job scheduler software and it seem quite interesting how software companies disagree with you as they decided to create a lot of professional applications to run critical tasks and those critical tasks are operated usually from one central server (sometimes more than one for redundancy).

Sure, and if the connection - for any reason - drops, the task won't be executed.
Rest assured that Murphy's Law will present itself there as soon as such a setup is implemented (and - by definition - if the task at hand is a local backup - the only case of a disk catching fire you would ever see will happen the sheer moment the task was not executed, for *any* reason)

allen2, on 20 March 2013 - 01:35 PM, said:

In fact i think you just love to disagree with everyone (so of course you'll disagree with me on this point).

Naaah, I may even agree with you specifically, just to show how you are wrong on this .

allen2, on 20 March 2013 - 01:35 PM, said:

"At" service doesn't come with a logging facility (eventlogs or plain file like scheduled taks in 200/xp/2003) to allow debugging so i can't call something like this a mission critical tool to run tasks !

Yep, as said, there never was a particular praise for the easy of use, feature list, flexibility or logging capabilities of AT.EXE , but it's not like people using NT 3.51 or NT 4.00 before the advent of the Service Pack that adds Task Manager were setting alarm clocks pointed at (say) 2:00 AM to wake themselves and get to the PC to perform a task while offices were closed.
It was rudimental, it had all the quirks you can imagine and even one more, and (practical example):
http://support.micro...kb/138340/en-us
in the good ol' days you simply couldn't live without the NT Resource Kit, good batch scripting capabilities, and some fantasy, besides hard work, we had to write bytes by hand on a scrap of paper bit by bit....

Why, in my day....
http://reboot.pro/to...-why-in-my-day/
.... and we LIKED it !


jaclaz

[am12348]

Hello Jaclaz,

Thank you for your usefull help and for your concern.

The topic I've posted recently, "Unlocking the workstation programatically" , is a new subject.
It has connection with the topic "Shutting down and restart...", but it is definitely a new one.

You've asked me to give more details about my need ad I had to mention the
scenario "Shutting down and restart...".

I read the posts you and other members write. However for security reasons I try to
avoid putting "external software" and try to rely on the "exixting tools" in the server, in
our case the function "at".

I've tried for example the function "psshutdown" that somebody suggested in a home
copmputer. It works and does the job properly, but if you put it under "at" - something
terminates with error.

I've come into a conclusion that using "shutting down and restart" under "at" command
when the station is locked (it doesn't matter which function is working my batch or psshutdown)
maybe won't work in the NT4 in the organization (only in the locking case).
Therefore I've tried to take a new approach: since both my batch and psshutdown are working
properly, when the station is in an unlocked state, I only have to unlock the workstation
a short time before the shutting down process takes effect .

From the above I'm looking for a function in NT4 that can be scheduled and unlock the
server.


Sorry for the misunderstanding,
Amos

[allen2]

am12348, on 21 March 2013 - 01:00 AM, said:

I've tried for example the function "psshutdown" that somebody suggested in a home
copmputer. It works and does the job properly, but if you put it under "at" - something
terminates with error.

Does the "schedule" service of your NT4 is running with something other than the system account (you'll this in services) ? In this case, psshutdown will only have the rights from the other user and if it isn't granted the admins rights, it might fail. In this case, you'll have to either add the rights or force psshutdown to use another login with -u and -p.
For recent psshutdown version to run in batch mode with any account , you need to add the undocumented "-accepteula" option that need to be set first.

[jaclaz]

am12348, on 21 March 2013 - 01:00 AM, said:

The topic I've posted recently, "Unlocking the workstation programatically" , is a new subject.
It has connection with the topic "Shutting down and restart...", but it is definitely a new one.

Actually, no, it's exactly the same, only you have found a condition in which the solution you managed to get working doesn't work.

am12348, on 21 March 2013 - 01:00 AM, said:

I read the posts you and other members write. However for security reasons I try to
avoid putting "external software" and try to rely on the "exixting tools" in the server, in
our case the function "at".

Yes, but you cannot make lemon juice from cucumbers, i.e. you can squeeze cucumbers alright, but you will get cucumber juice (and NOT lemonade) as a result.

There is NO such function in NT 4.00, maybe, just maybe, one of the third party tools/programs for which you were given a link, specifically for the task of unlocking a locked workstation, may :
http://www.codeproje...ows-Workstation
http://www.rohitab.c...2#entry10052092
http://www.softtreet.../archive/51.htm

If you are concerned about security, try using those same approaches and write your own tool.

am12348, on 21 March 2013 - 01:00 AM, said:

I've tried for example the function "psshutdown" that somebody suggested in a home
copmputer. It works and does the job properly, but if you put it under "at" - something
terminates with error.

I've come into a conclusion that using "shutting down and restart" under "at" command
when the station is locked (it doesn't matter which function is working my batch or psshutdown)
maybe won't work in the NT4 in the organization (only in the locking case).
Therefore I've tried to take a new approach: since both my batch and psshutdown are working
properly, when the station is in an unlocked state, I only have to unlock the workstation
a short time before the shutting down process takes effect .

From the above I'm looking for a function in NT4 that can be scheduled and unlock the
server.

See above, there isn't one.

am12348, on 21 March 2013 - 01:00 AM, said:

Sorry for the misunderstanding,

No need to be sorry, but you have to realize how when you have an issue you should really ask about the issue, and not about the way you think it should be solved, the risk is that of slipping on a chocolate covered banana:
http://homepage.ntlw...red-banana.html

You seemingly have not properly tested psshutdown, and in any case, if you really are concerned with third party software because of security issues, we are all losing our time .

Please, also, consider how these are not necessarily true equations:

• Microsoft built-in fundctions/tools = Secure
  
• Third Party Tools = Security risks

jaclaz