The
sendEmail program is interesting because it originally appeared on the
Linux platform, not on Windows. Essentially, sendEmail is a Simple Mail
Transfer Protocol (SMTP) agent, so you don't have to rely on any
external application to use it. You do need an SMTP server, which the
send-Email application assumes is on Localhost unless you specify
otherwise. Make sure you download the Windows version of the utility at http://caspian.dotconf.net/menu/Software/SendEmail/.
The really interesting
feature of this product, though, is that you can use it to send an email
to anyone from the command prompt, a batch file, or a script (the Web
page makes it appear that you need to use Practical Extraction and
Report Language or PERL, which also works of course, but isn't a
requirement). Consequently, an administrator who needs to monitor a host
of network machines can do so effectively simply by checking email.
This utility uses the following syntax:
sendEmail -f ADDRESS [-t ADDRESS [ADDRESS ...]] [-u SUBJECT] [-m
MESSAGE] [-s SERVER[:PORT]] [-a FILE [FILE ...]] [-cc ADDRESS
[ADDRESS ...]] [-bcc ADDRESS [ADDRESS ...]] [-xu USERNAME [-xp
PASSWORD]] [-l LOGFILE] [-v [...]] [-o NAME=VALUE]
sendEmail –help TOPIC
Of these arguments, you must provide the -f command line switch as a minimum. You must also provide at least one recipient using the -t, -cc, or -bcc
command line switches. Finally, even though you don't absolutely have
to provide it, you should include a message body using the -m or -o
command line switches. You can also type the message using the standard
input device (STDIN). The following list describes each of the command
line arguments.
-f ADDRESS
Defines the
address of the sender. If you're using this utility to report system
progress or errors, you can use the user's address and machine name for
the address. For example, using an address of "John,
Main<[email protected]>" tells you that the user's name is John and
that the machine name is Main. You must still provide a return address,
which can be your own email address or the user's email address.
NOTE
Newer Windows
systems with built-in firewall support might block the sendEmail
utility. Unfortunately, you'll just see an odd error message; neither
the utility nor Windows will tell you what is really happening to the
email. Make sure you set your firewall to allow sendEmail to transmit
the message using whatever port you select. The default port for this
utility is 25, but you can change the standard port using the -s command line switch.
-t ADDRESS [ADDRESS ...]
Defines one or
more addresses to receive the email message. These email addresses
appear in the To field of the message. You can also send the email to
addresses in the CC field using the -cc command line switch and the BCC field using the -bcc command line switch.
-u SUBJECT
Defines the message
subject. Make sure you place the message subject in quotes when it
contains spaces. Any other argument with spaces also requires quotes.
-m MESSAGE
Defines the
message body. The message body can contain anything that you can place
in a standard message, including HTML. However, at some point, this
utility becomes more cumbersome than helpful for complex messages and
you should consider switching to a full-fledged email application.
-s
SERVER [:PORT]
Specifies the SMTP server. Don't include a protocol with the SMTP server argument—include only the full server name such as smtp.myserver.com.
The default server is Localhost. You may also specify a port number to
use when contacting the server. The default setting is the standard SMTP
port of 25.
-a FILE [FILE ...]
Adds one or more file attachments to the email message. You can use this option to send complex test data.
-cc
ADDRESS [ADDRESS
...]
Defines one or more carbon copy recipients. These addresses appear in the CC field of the message.
-bcc ADDRESS [ADDRESS ...]
Defines one or
more blind carbon copy recipients. Even though these email addresses
receive the message, they won't appear as part of either the To or CC
fields. Instead, you'll normally see a default entry, such as
Undisclosed-Recipient.
-xu USERNAME
Specifies the username for SMTP server authentication. You may not require this input with public servers.
-xp PASSWORD
Specifies the user's password for the SMTP server account. You normally must provide a username with the -xu command line switch to use this option.
-l LOGFILE
Specifies a log file to use to record email events.
-v [...]
Forces the utility
to provide additional information about email events. Use this command
line switch multiple times for added verbosity.
-q
Forces the
utility to restrict any email event output. The user won't see any
messages at the command line. You can use this option to ensure a
background process doesn't disturb the user.
-o
NAME=VALUE
Defines special
email processing requirements. This book doesn't describe the email
header in detail. However, the following list provides a short
description of the various properties that this utility makes available.
message-file= FILE
Specifies the message relies on a file, rather than a standard body, as the means of sending information.
message-header= EMAIL_HEADER
Defines one or more special headings for the email message.
message-format=raw
Specifies that the utility will send the email using a raw, prebuilt message.
message-charset= CHARSET
Defines the character set used by the email message.
reply-to= ADDRESS
Defines
the address to use for replies. The default setting uses the address in
the From field of the message for replies. This option provides an
alternative to the default.
timeout= SECONDS
Determines
how long the utility, servers, and other elements of the mail transfer
system wait for a successful email transmission.
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You can find a host of Web
sites that describe the email message header online. If you want to
understand the email process better and the tools required when working
with email headers, look at the Tracking E-mail site at http://www.expita.com/header1.html.
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—help TOPIC
Obtains additional
help about a particular topic. Even though you can use the /? command
line switch to obtain general help, you can obtain a wealth of
additional information by using this command line switch. The following
list describes the additional topics.
addressing
Explains the various addressing and related options.
message
Explains the message body input and related options.
misc
Contains all of the miscellaneous topics that don't fit under any other heading.
networking
Explains all of the networking options, such as selecting a server using the -s command line switch.
output
Explains the logging and other output options.
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Considering Multiplatform Requirements
You might not think that a
book on the Windows command line would merit much thought about working
on other platforms, but it does. Most administrators today don't have
the luxury of just working with Windows or any other individual platform
for that matter. Most companies now have multiple platforms for various
tasks and the use of more than one platform isn't going to change. In
fact, the problem promises to become worse, not better, as time
progresses, for administrators.
The sendEmail
application is a command line utility that just happens to run at the
command line on multiple systems. Any time you can find a single
software application that runs on multiple platforms, it's a good idea
to check it out. Using the same software on multiple platforms means
that you can leverage the work you perform on one platform on all of the
other platforms as well. You'll reduce errors and the need for complex
training in multiple packages. In some cases, you'll even be able to use
the applications you create on multiple platforms because the software
that your applications access is the same on every platform.
Unfortunately,
software that runs on more than one platform is still the exception and
not the rule. In addition, most multiplatform software runs on two
platforms; software that runs equally well on three or more platforms is
rare. Software that runs precisely the same on three or more platforms
is even rarer, but it does exist for specific needs. If your network has
an odd combination of mainframe, Linux, Windows, and Macintosh, you
probably won't find a lot of software to meet your command line needs,
but you should still look. When you find someone who has two of your
platforms covered, try to convince them to cover the other platforms
too. Multiple platform networks are here to stay—any software you can
find that runs equally well on all of those platforms makes your job
easier.
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