Bouncer 1.11/SR2 Release Notes

Bouncer 1.11/SR2 Release Notes 7-apr-2000
Copyright 1998-2000 by Bamboo Software - all rights reserved

Read This First:
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If you are upgrading a previous version of Bouncer, please reread this README.TXT file, as it contains changes and additions since the last release.

*** IMPORTANT! ***
1. This software is designed to terminate a user's session without saving his/her work. Any unsaved changes will be lost. Users can and will lose unsaved changes to open files when Bouncer terminates their session. Bamboo Software is not responsible for any unsaved changes being lost via termination by this software.

2. This document describes registry settings. These are provided for information only. Editing the registry is risky; you can accidentally damage your system to the point of unusability. Bamboo Software recommends that you use the SETUP and BSCP programs to modify Bouncer's configuration, instead of editing the registry directly. Do not manually edit the registry without being aware of the risks. (As long as Bouncer settings are the only registry values changed, it's highly unlikely you will damage your system.)

What's New in 1.11 Service Release 2 (SR2):
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Version 1.11 Service Release 2 fixes a bug in which shared profile information was not properly read by workstations, fixes a security bug in BSCP's remote logoff functions, and provides more support for Windows 2000 (W2K). If you don't use shared profiles and do not plan on running Windows 2000, you don't need SR2. SR2 provides new versions of the following 5 files: bouncer.exe, bouncerMsg.dll, bscp.exe, blocw.exe, and setup.exe. One new file is provided: monsvc.exe. Version 1.11/SR2 replaces version 1.11. To install the SR2 release you MUST UNINSTALL VERSION 1.11 BEFORE INSTALLING 1.11/SR2. This is because SR2 requires you to provide the name and password of an existing domain account with administrator privileges during installation so the Bouncer Configuration Monitor service is registered to run using that account. Prior versions of Bouncer did not require this.

Overview:
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Bouncer is a Windows NT workstation-based service which monitors the workstation for user activity. If there is no activity for a designated period of time, the user is logged off. Bouncer may also be set to perform the specified action (logoff, shutdown or reboot) at a designated time of day.

This may be useful at businesses or sites where employees work in shifts and share the same computers, such as police and fire departments, hospitals, manufacturing shops, school computer labs, etc.

Bouncer is installed as an automatic startup service; i.e. it starts automatically at boot time. If you want to turn it off temporarily without removing the service, use BouncerSetup or the Bouncer Server Control Panel (NT's control panel Services applet or the console commands NET STOP BOUNCER and NET START BOUNCER can also be used). The menu item BouncerSetup is (optionally) added to the Administrative Tools start menu during installation; however it is only runable by administrators. The Bouncer Server Control Panel program is only installed on Bouncer Servers (explained below in the "To Install Bouncer" section).

System Requirements:
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Bouncer copies less than 20 files to a single folder on the hard drive, which uses less than 1MB of disk space.
Bouncer runs on Intel-compatible NT 4.0 or Windows 2000 workstations.

To Install Bouncer:
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1. Unzip the .ZIP file into a temporary folder on your hard drive.
2. Run SETUP.EXE from an administrator account.
3. Click the Install button. You will be asked if the installation type is Workstation or Server. This has nothing to do with NT/W2K Server vs NT/W2K Workstation. A typical Bouncer installation is "workstation". You would select "workstation" even when installing on an NT/W2K server, in order to logoff console users. If "Server" is chosen, the Bouncer Server Control Panel is installed, as well as 3 template profiles. A system administrator can select one workstation per domain as a Bouncer Server to simplify Bouncer configuration management. See "Shared Profiles" later in this document. If you plan on using shared profiles, you must enter the name and password of an existing domain account with administrator privileges when asked.
Installation continues; files will be copied, the Bouncer service will be registered with the service control manager, and entries will be added to the registry. An item called BouncerSetup is added to the Administrative Tools menu (if you chose this option).
4. Enter your registration number when prompted. Bouncer will not start if it is not registered. You can request a 30-day evaluation registration number from Bamboo Software's web site at www.halcyon.com/frog/bouncer.htm.
***You may get an application error after registering Bouncer. This does not mean that the install failed; it is caused by a conflict between Bouncer's registration and NT/W2K. Simply restart BouncerSetup from the menu, and continue with Configure (if not using BSCP to configure multiple machines at once).
5. Click the Configure button and choose your configuration options. BouncerSetup may be run at any time after installation to change Bouncer's configuration. If you installed a Bouncer Server, and all workstations will be configured identically, you can configure all your workstations at once by using a shared profile on the Bouncer Server, and then assigning it to all the workstations. This is done by running the Bouncer Server Control Panel on the server once Bouncer has been installed on all the workstations.

To Startup and Shutdown Bouncer:
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Run BouncerSetup from the Administrative Tools menu. Click the Start Bouncer button to startup Bouncer. Note that the button changes to Stop Bouncer when the service is running. The normal NT/W2K service commands may also be used to control Bouncer (i.e. NET START BOUNCER and NET STOP BOUNCER). Since Bouncer is registered as an automatic NT/W2K service, it will startup automatically at every reboot. (This can be changed by an administrator via the control panel's Services applet). You can startup and shutdown Bouncer on remote workstations by using the Bouncer Server Control Panel (on the Bouncer Server machine).

What's new:
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1.11/SR2 fixes a bug where shared profiles information was not read properly by the workstations.

Prior versions:
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Version 1.11 introduced the following new features:
New notification options, including countdown display, custom message, user cancel and wav file play.
Easier tuning, including a new Explorer sensitivity setting.
Mouse movement monitoring.
Remote configuration and monitoring via the Bouncer Service Control Panel (BSCP) program.
"Logoff/Shutdown/Reboot Now" buttons on BSCP for administrators with itchy trigger fingers.
Shared profiles.
Revamped configuration interface (tabbed property pages).
All files now are installed in one folder; prior versions used system directories for some files.
If the log file path is blank, the log file is created in the installation folder.
Logoff.exe provides an optional desktop logoff icon (by customer request).
Also the following bugs were fixed:
Network monitoring now properly detects and monitors up to 6 different network interface instances.
Security is set to administrators only on Bouncer's registry key.

Version 1.10 added 2 features by customer request: the 'Only logoff if screen is locked' option, and greater flexibility configuring groups. Groups in the 'Monitored groups' list are identified with an hourglass icon or a clock icon; the hourglass indicates idleness is measured by minutes, and the clock indicates a daily logoff time. See the 'Groups' section of this README.TXT for details.

Version 1.09 handled groups differently; if you are upgrading from 1.09 you need to delete all your monitored groups before installing the upgrade, and then re-add them.

All versions prior to 1.07 were pre-release beta-test builds.

About The Tray Display:
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Positioning your mouse pointer over Bouncer's tray icon displays "Idle n minutes" where n is the process which has been idle for the shortest time. Note that Bouncer does not monitor every process on the system. To remove Bouncer's icon from the taskbar tray, click "don't show icon in taskbar" in BouncerSetup's Configure dialog. The icon will be removed at Bouncer's next process scan.

Configuration:
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Bouncer has several configurable options. To view or change these options, run BouncerSetup (Bouncer's configuration and setup utility) from the Administrative Tools menu and click the 'Configure' button. While most options are dynamically changeable while Bouncer is running, it is recommended that the Bouncer service be stopped and restarted after making any changes.
Configuration options are implemented as registry values. The person installing and configuring Bouncer must use an account with administrator privileges. The SETUP utility is copied to Bouncer's installation directory when the product is installed. Note there are a few advanced options which are not configurable with SETUP.

Following are some common registry values Bouncer sets via SETUP and what they do:

Action: (SZ) valid values are Logoff, Shutdown, or Reboot.
DailyLogoffTime: (DWORD) is only configurable via the SETUP utility because it's a binary value. So don't mess with it!
ExcludeFiles: (SZ) comma-separated list of EXE files to ignore for activity. Do NOT include path, use naked filename(s) only. NOT dynamic; recycle Bouncer if you change this!
ForceExit: (DWORD) Force programs to exit at logoff without waiting for user to save open files.
ForceHwndReregister: (DWORD) Set to 1 to fix disappearing tray icon on Windows 2000 workstation.
IdleMinutes: (DWORD) number of minutes user is permitted to be idle before taking logoff action. Valid range is from 1 to 10080.
IgnoreKernel: (DWORD) set to nonzero to ignore kernel activity for more aggressive behavior.
IgnoreNet: (DWORD) set to 1 to ignore network activity.
LogDir: (SZ) directory for optional log file BOUNCER.LOG.
LogoffScript: (SZ) name of file to run (BAT, CMD or EXE) before taking logoff action.
MonitorMouse: (DWORD) set to 1 to enable mouse movement monitoring (default is off).
MultiGroupMaxPol: (DWORD) multiple group policy: biggest/smallest minutes.
MultiGroupDltPol: (DWORD) multiple group policy: earliest/latest clock time.
MultiGroupValPol: (DWORD) multiple group policy: minutes/clocktime.
NetBytesSec: (DWORD) the maximum network activity Bouncer ignores (default is 1000).
OnlyLogoffIfLocked: (DWORD) 1 enables; 0 disables this option.
RunScript: (DWORD) run file specified by LogoffScript before taking logoff action.
UseLogFile: (DWORD) write event messages to log file BOUNCER.LOG instead of event log; useful for examining the processes bouncer monitors.
UseMutex: (DWORD) release mutex immediately prior to taking logoff action.
UseTray: (DWORD) set to 0 to remove icon from taskbar tray.

The following option is not available from the SETUP utility but can be manually set via the registry:

MutexName: (SZ) if you need a different mutex name (default is BouncerMutex).

Groups:
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You can set Bouncer to monitor users according to their membership in existing domain global groups. A group may be assigned either a maximum idle minutes value or a daily logoff clock time. To setup groups, click the 'Groups' button in the Configure dialog box. All groups in the current domain are listed in a box on the right. Clicking the 'Add' button will prompt for a logoff value to associate with the selected group; clicking 'OK' adds the group to the monitored groups list on the left. 'Delete' removes the selected group from the monitored group list, and 'Edit' lets you change the value of the selected monitored group.

Group logoff values override global values. For example, suppose Bouncer's idle minutes value is set to 30 and Bouncer's monitored groups list contains ENGINEERS (60) and FINANCE (90). The currently logged-on user will be bounced after 30 minutes of inactivity, unless he or she belongs to ENGINEERS (in which case they have 60 minutes) or FINANCE (they have 90 minutes). If the user belongs to both ENGINEERS and FINANCE, the value is determined by the 3 policy choices in "If user belongs to more than 1 group" section on the Groups configuration dialog box.

Shared Profiles:
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If you performed a server install, you can create shared profiles on the server using the Bouncer Server Control Panel (BSCP) program. Shared profiles let you setup a configuration to be shared by multiple workstations on your network. You can then make a single change to the profile and it will take effect on all workstations using that profile. Assigning a shared profile to a computer overrides any local settings for that computer. A shared profile may be assigned to multiple computers at one time by selecting the computers (hold down the CONTROL key while clicking computer names in BSCP) and then clicking the 'Assign Profile' button.

Tuning:
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Bouncer tuning can be seen as finding the right spot on a continuum between 2 extremes: on one end, you want to log off the user or shutdown the workstation no matter what; on the other end, you want Bouncer to see every keystroke, mouse move and process as valid and NOT take logoff action. The administrator has to decide what is right for his/her site. With each new release of NT/W2K, service packs and add-ons, Microsoft adds more services and processes which run in the background. NT/W2K software vendors also are selling increasingly sophisticated packages, with additional services and background processes. And Explorer seems to get more frisky with every release. Because every site has its own typical workstation configuration, Bouncer usually requires some tuning to perform as desired. Typically the administrator must identify which services or processes are ignorable, and enter the appropriate EXE filenames into the "Ignore these files" field on the Tuning tab.

Bouncer works by monitoring all running sofware on an NT/W2K workstation. Because it is impossible to anticipate all possible configurations, the exclusion list provides a way to inform Bouncer of programs to ignore during monitoring. For example, an email notification program might periodically scan for incoming mail, and appear never to be idle. If you find that Bouncer never logs off a user, perform the following steps:

1. Check the "Create log file" box on Configuration General tab and optionally enter an existing path in the "Log file path" field. If you don't specify a path, the log file is created in Bouncer's installation folder.
2. Stop and restart Bouncer.
3. Let Bouncer run for the "idle minutes" time or longer WITHOUT USING THE COMPUTER.
4. Open the "BOUNCER.LOG" file in Notepad, and go to the bottom of the file.
5. Each process Bouncer monitors has an "idlemin" value; find the one(s) which have low values.
6. Add the filenames from step 5, seperated by commas, to the "Ignore files" list on the Tuning tab.
7. Once Bouncer performs as desired, turn off the "Create log file" option.

If your site has a standard workstation configuration, consider tuning Bouncer for a day or so on an available workstation before distributing it.

My personal "Ignore files" list contains "point32.exe,relay.exe,iamapp.exe,notify.exe".

Note: it may be tempting, but do NOT add "explorer.exe" to the ExcludeFiles list! If Explorer is never idle on your system, adjust the "Explorer sensitivity" control in the "lower" direction on the Tuning tab.

If the above tuning fails repeatedly, a more extreme alternate setting may be used. Set (or add) the registry value IgnoreKernel to 1 (this has nothing to do with file exclusion but may help if users are not being bounced).

Bouncer Server Control Panel:
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The Bouncer Server Control Panel (BSCP) is an administrator tool which displays a list of all computers in the domain with Bouncer installed. By picking a computer from the list, you can change Bouncer's configuration, stop or start Bouncer, logoff the current user, shutdown or reboot the remote workstation. The BSCP program is installed when the "Server" button is clicked during Bouncer installation. One Bouncer Server per domain is all that is needed for remote configuration. The Bouncer Server is where all shared profiles reside. Each machine listed in BSCP has a traffic-light icon. A green light means Bouncer is running on that computer; a red light means that Bouncer is not running.

The "Assign Profile" and all three "Now" buttons work with multiple selections; the rest are single-selection only.

You do not need to designate a Bouncer Server or install and run BSCP in order to use Bouncer. BSCP merely provides an easier way to centrally manage Bouncer configuration and operation for large sites.

Adding a Desktop Logoff Icon:
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You can create a new shortcut on the desktop via mouse right-click New -> Shortcut
and enter the full path of the LOGOFF.EXE file (in Bouncer's installation folder) in the "Command line" field.

Double-clicking the new desktop icon will logoff the current user. This may be a convenience for novice users.

Note: you can create desktop icons to perform a shutdown or reboot by using

[path]LOGOFF.EXE /SHUTDOWN
or [path]LOGOFF.EXE /REBOOT

as the command line (substitute the full pathname of Bouncer's install folder for [path]).

(Type LOGOFF /? from a command prompt for help screen).

Miscellaneous Details:
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Enabling mouse movement monitoring impacts system performance. This is more noticeable on older or heavily-loaded workstations.

Bouncer logs messages to the Event Log, unless configured to use a log file.

Bouncer stores its configuration settings in the registry key
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Bamboo\Bouncer\{version#}. Only users with administrator privilege have write access to this registry key. Other users can read, but not change, these values.

What's a Mutex?
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A mutex is a synchronization object multiple programs can use to signal one another that something has happened. Bouncer has an option of creating a mutex, as a courtesy for user-written programs which need notification that a logoff or shutdown is about to occur. The default mutex name is BouncerMutex. If UseMutex is nonzero, Bouncer creates a mutex at initialization, takes immediate ownership of it, and releases the mutex to signal any waiting processes immediately before running a logoff script. The mutex is recreated after Bouncer takes the specified logoff action.

To Uninstall Bouncer:
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To remove Bouncer from a workstation, run BouncerSetup and click the Remove button, or use the Control Panel's "Add/Remove Programs" applet. This will delete Bouncer from the service database, delete Bouncer's files from your hard drive, and remove entries from the registry. Note: SETUP only removes the version of Bouncer that it shipped with. You must use the same version of SETUP which you used to install the software to uninstall it. In other words, remove your current version before installing an upgrade!

Version History:
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BOUNCER 1.11/SR2: fixes a bug with shared profiles and adds Windows 2000 support.

BOUNCER 1.11: added Bouncer Service Control Panel, shared profiles, mouse monitoring, a revised configuration interface, and custom notification with optional user cancel dialog.

BOUNCER 1.10 added the 'Only logoff if screen is locked' option, and the ability to configure groups to use either a maximum idle minutes value, or a daily logoff time. Also changed the icon text from "x/y mprocs idle" to "Idle n minutes". Built 27-aug-1998.

BOUNCER 1.09 added the daily logoff time and group control options. Set via the SETUP configuration dialog, daily logoff schedules the bounce action to be performed at a specified time each day, regardless of user idleness. Groups allows different idle times to be specified for users who belong to different global groups in the NT domain. Built 9-aug-1998.

BOUNCER 1.08 changed the security of the mutex to allow world access (prior versions required administrator access to get a handle to the mutex) and fixed bug where a registry key wasn't being closed. Built 25-jun-1998.

BOUNCER 1.07 reported more configuration information at startup, tweaked some default settings, and trimed a few unnecessary internal variables. First commercial release, built 6-may-1998.

SETUP 1.9 added user interface control for the 2 options introduced in Bouncer 1.10. File date 8/26/98.

SETUP 1.8 added the daily logoff time feature, and the Groups configuration. File date 8/11/98.

SETUP 1.7 let Bouncer be uninstalled via the control panel's "Add/Remove Programs" applet. File created 5/4/98.

File List:
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Bouncer's installation copies the following files to your hard drive:

blocw.exe
Bouncer.exe
bscp.exe
logoff.exe
monsvc.exe
setup.exe
BouncerMsg.dll
imon.dll
mloc.dll
pdh.dll
psapi.dll
readme.txt
*.wav

Contact Information:
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Bouncer is published by Bamboo Software. The retail price is $39 per workstation plus Washington state sales tax. Volume and educational discounts are available. To place an order, send check or money order payable in US dollars to:

Bamboo Software
4401 Baker Ave. NW
Seattle, WA 98107

email: bamboosoft@halcyon.com

VISA and MasterCard orders accepted.

A full-featured evaluation copy is available for free download via the web. Visit http://www.halcyon.com/frog/bouncer.htm for current information.

Copyright:
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Bouncer is copyright 1998-2000 by Bamboo Software. All rights reserved.