Multi-Send (Broadcast)

Send commands to multiple terminal sessions simultaneously for efficient bulk operations.

Overview

Multi-Send allows you to type a command once and send it to multiple terminal sessions at the same time. This is invaluable for bulk operations like checking status across devices, making consistent configuration changes, or gathering information.

How It Works

When Multi-Send is enabled, your keystrokes are broadcast to all selected sessions. Each session receives the input independently and executes it in its own context.

Use With Care

Multi-Send is powerful but potentially dangerous. Always verify you're sending to the correct sessions before executing commands that make changes.

Enabling Multi-Send

Quick Toggle

Press Cmd+Shift+M (Mac) or Ctrl+Shift+M (Windows/Linux) to toggle Multi-Send mode. When enabled:

A broadcast icon appears in the status bar
Participating tabs show a broadcast indicator
The terminal input area has a highlighted border

Via Menu

Go to Edit → Multi-Send
Select Enable Multi-Send

Visual Indicators

When Multi-Send is active:

Status bar shows "Broadcasting to X sessions"
Tabs included in broadcast have a colored dot
The command input area has an accent border

Targeting Sessions

All Open Sessions

By default, Multi-Send broadcasts to all connected sessions in the current window.

Selected Sessions Only

To broadcast to specific sessions:

Hold Cmd/Ctrl and click the tabs you want to include
Enable Multi-Send
Only selected tabs will receive input

Tab Groups

Multi-Send respects tab groups. If you have tabs grouped:

Select a tab group to broadcast to all tabs in that group
Mix individual tabs and groups by Cmd/Ctrl-clicking

Excluding Sessions

To exclude a session from broadcast:

Right-click the tab and select Exclude from Multi-Send
Or Cmd/Ctrl-click to deselect

# Example: Update NTP on all routers
# 1. Open sessions to all routers
# 2. Cmd+Shift+M to enable Multi-Send
# 3. Type commands (sent to all):

configure terminal
ntp server 10.0.0.1 prefer
ntp server 10.0.0.2
end
write memory

Safety Features

NetStacks includes several safety features to prevent accidental damage when using Multi-Send.

Command Confirmation

Certain dangerous commands trigger a confirmation dialog:

reload, reboot, shutdown
erase, delete, format
write erase, clear config
Any command containing rm -rf

Configure additional patterns in Settings → Multi-Send → Dangerous Commands.

Preview Mode

Enable Preview Mode to see what you're about to send before executing:

Go to Settings → Multi-Send
Enable Preview before send
Commands will queue and show a preview panel
Press Enter again to confirm, or Esc to cancel

Disconnect Protection

If a session disconnects during Multi-Send:

The disconnected session is automatically excluded
A notification appears
Other sessions continue receiving input

Tip

For critical operations, consider using the Controller's scheduled tasks or MOPs instead of Multi-Send. These provide better tracking, rollback, and approval workflows.

Use Cases

Information Gathering

# Check BGP status across all routers
show ip bgp summary

# Verify NTP sync
show ntp status

# Check interface errors
show interfaces | include errors

Bulk Configuration

# Add a banner to all devices
configure terminal
banner motd ^
*********************************************
*  Authorized Access Only                   *
*  All activity is monitored and logged     *
*********************************************
^
end
write memory

Troubleshooting

# Check for specific log entries
show logging | include OSPF

# Verify routing to a destination
show ip route 10.0.0.0

# Check CPU/memory
show processes cpu | include CPU
show memory statistics

Maintenance Windows

# Pre-maintenance checks
show ip route summary
show ip ospf neighbor
show ip bgp summary

# Post-maintenance verification
# (Same commands to compare)

Note

For complex multi-step operations with dependencies between devices, consider using MOPs (Method of Procedures) in the Controller for better control and tracking.