The NET command is used to manage requesters (networked computers), servers and network resources (network drives, printers, etcetera).
Most options of NET.EXE are also available in GUI style programs in Windows and OS/2, but for automating tasks nothing beats the command line interface of NET.EXE and its Windows counterparts.
I "grew up" with OS/2 LAN Server's command line.
I automated many tasks using either batch files with NET.EXE or Rexx scripts with LAN Server RexxUtil.
After jumping on the NT train, it took me a while before I realized that I wasn't condemned to GUI style programs at all, as long as I had access to the Windows NT 4 and 2000 Server Resource Kit utilities.
Being a former OS/2 administrator, the first scripts I created for NT were (Regina) Rexx scripts, written for the Rexx version that came with the Resource Kit.
After a while I switched to batch files combined with Resource Kit utilities.
To my surprise NT's batch language is almost as powerful as a the Resource Kit's Rexx version.
One of the biggest problems when switching from LAN Server to NT is that many of NET.EXE's options have been moved to separate utilities in NT.
The following table and examples are meant as a cross reference: find the "original" LAN Manager/LAN Server command in the column on the left, and check the middle column to see what it translates to in NT.
Note that even when some NET commands remained the same, the options may still differ vastly.
Use NET HELP command to get online help.
In OS/2 you will get even more help on the available options using NET HELP command /O
Windows NT 4's help files contain, amongst others, a very helpful translation table too.
Look at the "Contents", "Windows NT Commands", "What's New or Different from LAN Manager?".
| Note: | For NT I added several commands from the free PSTools toolkit. These tools can be used on local as well as remote systems. A must-have for Windows administrators. |
|---|
| LAN Server/LAN Manager and NT command translation | ||
|---|---|---|
| OS/2, LAN Server LAN Manager |
Windows NT | Remarks |
| AT | AT | Schedule tasks |
| NET ACCESS | CACLS | Manage access. Alternative (non-native) commands for NT: XCACLS, SHOWACLS, RMTSHARE, SUBINACL, SECEDIT. |
| NET ACCOUNTS | NET ACCOUNTS | |
| NET ADMIN | RCMD (1) PSEXEC |
IMHO NET ADMIN was NT's worst omission. On the other hand, RCMD (1) and PSEXEC may very well be the best replacements one could ever wish. |
| NET ADMIN /C \\server NET ACCESS local_path ... | XCACLS (1) unc_path ... PSEXEC \\server CACLS local_path ... |
For files only, CACLS can be used on UNC based names as well. |
| NET ADMIN /C \\domaincontroller NET GROUP globalgroup ... | NET GROUP globalgroup ... /DOMAIN | |
| NET ADMIN /C \\server NET SHARE share ... | RMTSHARE (1) \\server\share ... PSEXEC \\server NET SHARE share ... |
|
| NET ADMIN /C \\domaincontroller NET USER user_id ... | NET USER user_id ... /DOMAIN | |
| NET ADMIN /C \\server NET FILE ... | PSFILE \\server ... | |
| NET ALIAS | None (2) | |
| NET APP | None (2) | |
| NET APPPARM | None (2) | OS/2 Warp 4.5 (eComStation) only |
| NET AUDIT | None (2) | |
| NET COMM | None (2) | |
| None (2) | NET COMPUTER | |
| NET CONFIG | NET CONFIG | Display NetBIOS configuration information |
| NET CONTINUE | NET CONTINUE | Continue paused services |
| NET COPY | COPY XCOPY FCOPY (1) |
|
| NET DASD | None (2) | |
| NET DEVICE | None (2) | |
| NET ERROR | DUMPEL (1) PSLOGLIST |
|
| NET FILE | NET FILE | List files opened by remote computers |
| NET FORWARD | None (2) | |
| NET GROUP | NET GROUP NET LOCALGROUP |
List or manage groups and group membership |
| NET HELP | NET HELP NET HELPMSG |
Use NET HELP to display syntax. Use NET HELPMSG to display information on error messages. |
| NET LOG | None (2) | |
| NET MOVE | None (2) | |
| NET NAME | NET NAME | List or manage NetBIOS names |
| NET PASSWORD | NET USER user_id new_password [ /DOMAIN ] | The command RUNDLL32.EXE NETPLWIZ.DLL,UsersRunDll will start the GUI for changing passwords (by Administrators only).[ Thanks for Steve Pasikowski for pointing out an error in the previously published command ] |
| NET PAUSE | NET PAUSE | Pause services |
| NET PRINT | NET PRINT | |
| NET RIPLMACH | None (2) | OS/2 Warp 4.5 (eComStation) only |
| NET RIPLMCLAS | None (2) | OS/2 Warp 4.5 (eComStation) only |
| NET RUN | RCMD (1) PSEXEC |
|
| NET SEND | NET SEND | Send messages to other users or computers |
| NET SESSION | NET SESSION | |
| NET SHARE | NET SHARE | In Windows Server 2003 the default permissions on shares have changed from Everyone Full Control to Everyone Read! Use the /GRANT:Everyone,Full switch to set permissions to the old default. |
| NET START | NET START | Start services |
| NET STATISTICS | NET STATISTICS | |
| NET STATUS | NET CONFIG and NET SHARE | |
| NET STOP | NET STOP | Stop services |
| NET TIME | NET TIME | Synchronize time with a remote computer, or display a remote computer's current time |
| NET USE | NET USE | NT's /USER switch makes this command extremely powerful |
| NET USER | NET USER | List or manage users |
| NET VIEW | NET VIEW | List domains and workgroups (NT's /DOMAIN switch only only), computers, or shared devices |
| NET WHO | None (2) | IMHO this is NT's second most important omission. See NetWho and NetWho2 for an attempt to fill the gap. For small NT networks PSLOGGEDON may be a viable alternative. |
| Notes: | (1) | This utility comes with the Windows NT Server Resource Kit |
| (2) | There seems to be no command line equivalent available in NT. However, for most tasks GUI style utilities are available in NT. |
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