Managing User Sessions

The User Sessions window available from the Activity menu of the Application Server Shell provides a view of each individual user logged into the system.

Information includes the application being used (indicated by the icon), the user's name or login ID, the service or database link being used, the elapsed time of the connection, the number of requests, and the login date and time. The User Sessions window also allows you to broadcast messages to users and disconnect users from the system.

Disconnecting Users

In rare cases, it may be necessary to disconnect a user or multiple users from the Application Server program. As a rule, you should avoid disconnecting users from the Application Server. If you need to remove an existing user, you should first ask him or her to quit the client application being used to connect to the Application Server.

Opening the Application Server Shell

1. Click Start-> Programs-> MetaCommunications-> Application Server Shell on the Windows Server computer on which the Application Server is installed. The Application Server Shell will open.

Disconnecting Users with the Application Server shell:

1. In the Application Server Shell, select User Sessions from the Activity menu. This will open the User Sessions window if it is not open or bring it to the front if it is already open.

1. Select the user(s) you want to disconnect in the user list of the window. To select multiple users, hold down the Control key while clicking.
2. Click Disconnect to disconnect the users specified in the previous step from the Application Server. A dialog box will appear, asking you to confirm whether or not you truly want to disconnect the selected users.

1. Click Yes ( ) to confirm disconnecting the users or No ( ) to cancel.

At this point, the users you have selected are no longer connected to the Application Server, and their connection information will disappear from the user list of the User Sessions window.

Broadcasting Messages

The Application Server has the ability to broadcast messages to connected users. Available from within the User Sessions window, the message broadcast feature is designed to transmit messages to users for administrative purposes. For example, a message could be broadcast advising users of a backup or upgrade of the computer running the Application Server.

Broadcasting a message to users:

1. Select User Sessions from the Activity menu in the Application Server Shell. This will open the User Sessions window if it is not open, or bring it to the front if it is already open.

1. Select the user(s) to whom you want to broadcast a message in the user list of the window. To select multiple users, hold down the Control key while clicking.
2. Click Broadcast. A Broadcast Message window will appear, allowing you to type a message that will be sent to the users specified in the previous step.

1. Type the message you want to send and click Send ( ). The Broadcast Message dialog will disappear and the message will be sent to the users specified in Step 2. Each such user will receive the message via a dialog window that appears in the client application he or she is using. The dialog will be of the following form: