This shutdown utility is available at the command line in Windows
Server 2008 and earlier operating systems going right back to XP.
Start by typing cmd; remember to 'Run as Administrator'. Once the DOS
box launches your
first real decision is do you want to reboot (-r), or shutdown (-s) that
server in another part of the network?
Note 1: The default with -r is the local machine!
Thus introduce the -m switch if you want a remote restart.
Note 2: While your 'victim' is probably a Windows
Server, you can launch the command from Windows 7 or earlier Microsoft
clients.
Warning: Despite what anyone tells you, nobody
gets to be an expert with Shutdown without accidentally downing
the local machine instead of the target computer. To recover from this mistake pay close attention to the syntax
of Shutdown's abort switch -a.
When you attempt to restart a remote Windows server always remember that the default computername is the local machine,
therefore to access a remote server you need to append -m
ComputerName.
The full command would
be: Shutdown -r -m \\BigServer If the minus sign is unfamiliar, you could try Shutdown
/s /m \\BigServer, in this example, 'BigServer' is the
hostname of the remote
operating system. None of these commands is case sensitive so sHUTDOWN
-R -m \\bigserver
would work just as well.
Note 1: There is no space between the
double backslash and the computername \\
BigServer would not work.
Note 2: If you substitute -s for -r that would
mean shutdown.
For
testing -m on the local machine, try 127.0.0.1
For example, shutdown -r -m \\127.0.0.1 Such a command is useful in batch files.
Alternatively, to reboot numerous computers try PowerShell's command
Restart-Computer.
Examples
of Shutdown switches
shutdown -r -m \\YourSrv - Reboots a remote
machine called 'YourSrv'.
shutdown -s -m \\Laptop - Shuts down, or
stops a remote machine called 'Laptop'.
While you probably want to reboot a Windows server, Shutdown works on all
modern Microsoft client operating systems.
Note 3: For once the sequence of switches is
vital, hence shutdown -m -s \\Laptop does not work.
Guy Recommends: A Free Trial of the Network Performance Monitor
(NPM)
SolarWinds'
Network Performance Monitor
will help you discover what's happening on your network. This
utility will also guide you through troubleshooting; the dashboard will
indicate whether the root cause is a broken link, faulty equipment or
resource overload.
Perhaps the NPM's best feature is the way it suggests solutions to network
problems. Its second best feature is the ability to monitor the health of individual VMware
virtual machines. If you are interested in troubleshooting, and creating network maps, then I recommend that you
give this Network Performance Monitor a try.
Here is addition information about the optional commands to remotely restart your
Windows Server.
-a Is for abort. Naturally it only works during the time-out period.
Of all the optional switches, this the one to test before you start
restarting servers for real. The syntax is deceptively simple:
Shutdown -a
Avoid overthink, you don't need the -m switch or the machine's name.
-t is for time. Is 30 seconds too long
or too short a time?
You can adjust with -t: 60 to display the dialog box for one minute.
The maximum time is 600 seconds!
-f is for force. 'Mr Nasty', is coming - ready or not! Shutdown
-r -f as you may have guessed, restarts the machine, and closes any programs
without warning.
-c is for a comment. Would you like to put your stamp on the shutdown?
Let people know who is in charge, who is restarting their server? -c "Guy
is shutting you down"
-d p:4:1 reason. Personally, I would avoid this switch, the syntax
is tricky the numbers obscure, and it does nothing exciting.
That said the idea is sound, it enters a reason for the shutdown in the
event log. If you activate shutdown's help, then you will get a whole
list of major and minor reasons that you could employ with this switch.
For me, this switch is an option, an option that I do not take.
Note 1: The shutdown command line switches work equally well with a
forward slash, for example, /d, /r or /a (instead of -d, -r
or -a)
The best feature of this new this new version of SolarWinds VM Monitor is that it
checks Windows Hyper-V. Naturally, it still works with virtual machines on VMware ESX Servers. VM Monitor is a
clever
desktop tool that not only tests that your server is online, but also
displays the CPU and memory utilization for each node.
It's easy to install and to configure this virtual machine monitor, all
you need the host server's IP address or hostname and the logon info. Give
this virtual machine monitor a try - it's free.
You could just click on the Start orb and type: 'Shutdown -i'.
Consider making a shortcut to shutdown. The advantage is that you can
include the -i (/i) for interactive switch. The benefit is that
you have a GUI to control your remote server restarts.
Just right-click the desktop, New, Shortcut, type Shutdown -i
/i Display the graphical user interface (GUI). This must be the first
option. /l Log off. This cannot be used with /m or /d options. /s
Shutdown the computer. /r Shutdown and restart the computer. /g
Shutdown and restart the computer. After the system is rebooted, restart any
registered applications. /a Abort a system shutdown. This can only be
used during the time-out period. /p Turn off the local computer with no
time-out or warning. Can be used with /d and /f options. /h Hibernate the
local computer. Can be used with the /f option. /e Document the reason
for an unexpected shutdown of a computer. /m \\computer Specify the
target computer. /t xxx Set the time-out period before shutdown to xxx
seconds. The valid range is 0-315360000 (10 years), with a default of 30.
If the timeout period is greater than 0, the /f parameter is implied. /c
"comment" Comment on the reason for the restart or shutdown. Maximum of 512
characters allowed. /f Force running applications to close without
forewarning users. The /f parameter is implied when a value greater than 0
is specified for the /t parameter. /d [p|u:]xx:yy Provide the reason for
the restart or shutdown. p indicates that the restart or shutdown is
planned. u indicates that the reason is user defined. If neither p nor u
is specified the restart or shutdown is unplanned. xx is the major
reason number (positive integer less than 256). yy is the minor reason
number (positive integer less than 65536).
As an alternative to the built-in Windows Server shutdown command try
PowerShell. It has a family of cmdlets such as
Stop-Computer and
Restart-Computer. A likely scenario is that you wish to
automate the reboot of a remote server. With a tiny
substitution to the cmdlet's verb you could change the command so that it
simply shuts down the computer.
See more about using
PowerShell's restart-Computer cmdlet.
»
Summary of Remote Restart Windows Server
It's fun to learn the Remote Restart Windows Server, and one day they
will save you a long walk when you want restart or stop a remote computer.
My advice is to perfect the -a (abort) switch, that way you won't panic if
you issue a command to shutdown the local computer instead of the network
machine.
For beginners, shutdown -i helps you to check the options in a GUI.
If you like this page then please share it with your friends
Guy Recommends:
SolarWinds' NPM - Network Performance Monitor
SolarWinds' performance monitor is designed for detecting network outages,
making it easy to see what's working, and what needs your attention.
This utility guides you through creating network maps; it also helps
identifying whether the
root cause is faulty equipment, or resource overload. Give NPM a try.
For
testing -m on the local machine, try 127.0.0.1
