Configure business SMS and WhatsApp
Server 0.24.10 adds supported API connectors with connection and handset tests before explicit enablement. Ordinary mobile contract details alone do not enable sending. Read the complete provider setup guide.
Installation and email confirmation
For a fresh server installation, enter the registration Name, Company and Administrator email, then re-enter the email in Confirm administrator email. Both email entries must match before installation can continue. This checks typing consistency; it does not verify mailbox ownership.
Email confirmation is required for new installations. Updates preserve existing registration, credentials, licences and configuration. Setup uses Back and Next steps for server details, registration, licence agreement and final review. Advanced connection settings are collapsed initially. Entries are retained when moving back. Install runs only after final confirmation; Finish stays visible on completion.
Organisation sign-in and manual dashboard users
Optional organisation sign-in is configured under Administration → Accounts & computers → Organisation sign-in. It supports Microsoft Entra users, including on-premises AD accounts synchronised or federated with Entra. It does not connect directly to an isolated AD domain or enrol domain computers automatically.
IT setup: register a single-tenant application in Microsoft Entra. Add the Web platform with the exact HTTPS dashboard root address as its redirect URI, including the trailing slash (for example https://comms.example.org/). Use a stable hostname trusted by dashboard browsers. Authorization code sign-in is used; implicit token grants are not required.
Create an application client secret and record its expiry for rotation. Enter the Directory (tenant) ID, Application (client) ID, exact Web redirect URI and the secret value in Nuntivra. Save only from an authorised Administrator session. The secret is protected using Windows installation protection and is never displayed again. Leave its field blank when saving other settings to retain the saved secret. Rotate it before expiry.
Configure group claims in the ID token using security group object IDs. Create or choose groups for Administrator, Operator and Auditor and enter their object IDs in Nuntivra. At least one role group is required; each role must use a different group. Users in multiple mapped groups receive Administrator before Operator before Auditor. Group claims must include the mapped groups. For large memberships, restrict claims to the groups assigned to this application; tokens with group-overage claims are rejected rather than granting fallback access.
Optionally map a separate Live-alert permission group. Membership grants live-desktop permission only to an Administrator or Operator; Auditors cannot send live alerts. SMS and WhatsApp permissions are not granted by these role mappings. Existing server, licence and per-alert review/confirmation checks still apply.
Keep an enabled local Administrator for recovery and initial setup. Enable organisation sign-in, save, then test in a separate browser window before rollout. The server needs outbound trusted HTTPS to Microsoft identity services. Keep local administrator access available during testing. Do not treat a successful settings save as verification of a live tenant.
Users select Sign in with Microsoft / organisation account on the login page. Microsoft handles the user password, MFA and tenant sign-in policies. Nuntivra does not store or synchronise AD passwords. On first permitted sign-in, a dashboard account is created automatically; subsequent sign-ins refresh its mapped role and live permission.
Organisation sessions last up to 15 minutes and remain only in page memory. Sign in again after expiry; the identity provider may reuse its own existing sign-in session. Password or group changes do not instantly invalidate an existing Nuntivra session; the next organisation sign-in evaluates current provider claims. Disabling a dashboard account locally blocks existing sessions and further sign-in immediately. Saving organisation settings invalidates organisation sessions, including the Administrator session used to save if it is an organisation account. Logging out ends the current Nuntivra session; it does not sign the user out of Microsoft or other applications.
Organisation accounts are labelled in the dashboard account list. Their identity and permissions are managed through the mapped Entra groups; local administrators may disable or delete their dashboard access. Use Entra to change group-derived permissions rather than resetting a local token for that identity.
Manual dashboard accounts remain fully supported and do not require AD membership. In Accounts & computers, enter a unique account ID and display name, choose Administrator, Operator or Auditor, then save and securely give the private dashboard access token to that user. Administrators can edit manual roles, enable or disable accounts and reset credentials. Dashboard user access and receiving-computer enrolment remain separate.
Troubleshooting: check tenant and application IDs, Web redirect URI, app secret expiry, group object IDs and ID-token group-claim settings, browser certificate trust, server clock and outbound connectivity. Unmapped groups are denied access. If sign-in settings are incorrect, use the local Administrator token to correct or disable the integration.
Saved exercise and live templates
Administrators can create, edit, duplicate and delete templates in Administration → Sites, departments & groups. New installations start with no saved templates. Save a name, event type, title, message, presentation, expiry duration and preferred channels.
In Send an alert, select a saved template to fill the message fields. Change the content as needed. Template channels are applied only when currently available and authorised. Templates do not select recipients or send automatically.
Each live alert still requires live-send permission, an incident reference, recipient review and the SEND LIVE ALERT confirmation. Exercise templates remain clearly labelled. Deleting a template does not delete historical alerts.
Quick start
Sign in with your individual dashboard access token. Overview shows active alerts, channel availability and enrolled-computer connectivity. Use the left navigation to send an alert, monitor response, export history or open Administration.
Fresh installations start with no sites, departments, named groups, receiving computers or mobile recipients. An administrator should create sites and departments, enrol computers and install each PC’s private package before sending a targeted test.
Live desktop alerts and the initial Administrator’s live-send permission are enabled by default on a fresh installation. The message composer starts in Exercise mode. Review recipients before sending; live alerts also require an incident reference and the SEND LIVE ALERT confirmation.
Sign-in and account roles
Administrator manages accounts, receiving computers, departments, named groups, server setup and licensing. Operator creates and cancels alerts within granted permissions. Auditor views records and exports history; the alert composer is unavailable.
Administrator status and live-send permission are separate. New dashboard accounts receive the permissions selected by an administrator. Another administrator must remove your own administrator permission. Dashboard access tokens and receiving-agent credentials are different credentials.
Log out clears the in-page credential and sensitive credential panels. It does not revoke an account token. Use Administration to disable an account or reset a credential.
Overview and computer connectivity
Overview counts and its alert list use the latest 100 alerts. Show active alerts only is selected initially; clear it to see recent inactive records. The event-type filter narrows this list. History exports can include all matching records.
An online computer checked in within the last 20 seconds. Online does not mean that an alert was displayed or acknowledged. Disabled computers, offline computers and unseen computers are distinct states. Search and pagination keep the computer list manageable.
A green circle means Connected to server; a red circle means No connection to server. Action results are shown separately. Updated timestamps show the last confirmed refresh. If data may be stale, check connectivity and refresh. Do not infer delivery or safety from a cached overview.
Compose, review and send
Open Send an alert. Step 1: choose Exercise/test or Live incident, enter a title and message, choose a ticker strip or critical popup, and set the expiry time.
Step 2: choose sites, departments, named groups and available channels. Step 3: select Review message & recipients and inspect the message, expiry, channels and exact recipient list. Editing the form invalidates that review.
For a live incident, enter the incident reference and type SEND LIVE ALERT to enable the final send action. Account permission, server settings, a valid server licence and receiving-computer capability still apply. A retry after a connection problem uses the same request key to avoid duplicate creation.
Sites, departments and named groups
Sites, departments and named groups combine as AND conditions. Multiple selections within a category combine as OR conditions. With no department selected, all departments are eligible; with no named group selected, there is no group restriction. At least one site and an eligible channel must be selected. Select all and Clear all work with any number of configured sites. Computers can belong to several sites and departments; any match within each category is eligible, with each computer included once.
Administrators add and edit sites in Administration. A new installation has no preconfigured sites. A computer assigned to all configured sites is eligible for any site. Departments and named groups are configured by your administrator; a new named group has no members until recipients are assigned.
Recipients are frozen when an alert is created. Changing directory membership later does not change that alert’s saved recipient list.
Delivery states, cancellation and stand-down
Pending does not confirm delivery. Displayed records the desktop agent’s display receipt; Acknowledged records its acknowledgement. Dashboard timestamps reflect the server receipt and may lag a local action during network problems. Mobile mock completions do not represent real delivery.
Cancel alert display removes the current display on the next successful agent poll. It does not send an all-clear. Offline computers may keep an already displayed alert until its normal expiry. Cancellation requires confirmation.
Stand down incident sends a linked green conclusion to the original incident’s saved recipients, including recipients who did not acknowledge. It stops the original display. The conclusion lasts 30 minutes and requires its own acknowledgement. Review and confirm before sending it. Exercises and conclusion follow-ups cannot themselves be stood down. Offline or disabled agents may miss the conclusion before expiry.
Monitor response
Use Monitor response for detailed analysis. Choose the time window, event type, site and alert lifecycle, then refresh. Summary buttons narrow the alert list or computer list. Select an alert to inspect its message and individual delivery records.
Timeline selection, quick view and search can narrow the alert list further. Reset filters clears those restrictions. The snapshot timestamp and selected filters describe the data currently displayed; stale-data messages mean the last successful snapshot is being retained.
Counts describe delivery records, not people. Shared-site computers are counted once in totals. Connectivity uses the selected site independently of the alert creation window. Acknowledgements and online status do not establish that an area is safe.
History and export
Open History & export. Choose event type, CSV or JSON, and an optional date range, then select Download alert history. Blank dates include all dates. Through date is inclusive.
Date inputs use the browser computer’s local time; exported timestamps use UTC. Exports include messages and recipient details. Save them in an appropriate location and restrict access according to your organisation’s policy.
Administration sections
Administration is available only to authorised administrators. Use its section tabs rather than scrolling through unrelated forms: Departments & groups; Accounts & computers; SMS & WhatsApp; Server & certificates; Licence & subscription.
Refresh directory reloads account and recipient data. Changes are saved through each form’s own action. Switching sections keeps ordinary form values but clears a displayed newly issued credential; save any required credential securely before leaving that section.
Departments and named groups
In Administration → Departments & groups, enter a department name or a named group name and select Add. Use Edit name in the corresponding list to rename a definition.
Add at least one department before enrolling computers or mobile recipients. Named groups are optional. Names are presented alphabetically; internal references and existing memberships remain stable when a definition is renamed. Assign recipients to groups in their edit form.
Enrol and install receiving computers
In Administration → Accounts & computers, enrol the intended PC with its Computer ID/hostname, display name, one or more sites, one or more departments and optional groups. Download its private installer package from Server & certificates → Client installation and monitoring.
Extract the package on the intended PC and run Nuntivra-Mass-Communication-Agent-Setup.exe. Native packages include Python, the PC credential, settings and the public CA; no separate Python installation is required. Use a distinct private package for each enrolled PC.
Current-user installation uses that Windows user’s local application folder. All-users installation requires administrator approval, protects the shared installation and starts the agent for signed-in Windows users. Keep the agent running in the receiving user’s session. Finish setup, check connectivity and verify a targeted exercise and acknowledgement.
Edit, disable and reset access
Use the searchable lists in Accounts & computers to edit dashboard accounts or receiving computers. Filters and pagination restrict the visible results. Computer group membership controls targeting; it does not grant dashboard access.
Disabling or deleting a directory entry revokes its current access while retaining historical records. Resetting a PC credential immediately invalidates its old credential. Download a new private client package, update the intended PC and restart its agent; the credential reset is not pushed automatically.
New account tokens and private PC credentials appear only when issued. Download and store them securely. Clear the credential panel when finished. Do not share one PC package between computers.
SMS and WhatsApp directory
Administration → SMS & WhatsApp contains separate channel recipient lists and provider-account configuration. Set the recipient identifier, display name, phone number, site, department, groups and appropriate account assignment. Search, edit, disable or archive entries through the relevant list.
Real mobile sending uses a tested, explicitly enabled connector and account/channel permissions. Saving directory metadata alone does not enable it. Configure and test the connection under Administration → SMS & WhatsApp → Connect a messaging provider.
Mock queue results and acknowledgement-framework tests must not be treated as evidence of real message transmission. Desktop delivery and acknowledgement operate separately.
Server address and certificates
In Administration → Server & certificates, review the active address and saved restart plan. Prefer a stable DNS hostname reachable from enrolled computers. Save the host, listen address and HTTPS port before applying a planned change.
Generate or renew a local certificate, prepare a public certificate request for IT, or validate and stage an IT-issued server certificate with its public CA chain. The private server key stays on the server. Keep public CA files and private key files distinct.
Push a staged public CA over the existing trusted agent connection and monitor the reported installation result. Offline computers remain pending. Keep the current server running until required agents have installed the new trust. Trust updates do not update the agents’ saved server URL; address changes require coordinated DNS and client configuration changes.
Apply a saved restart plan by stopping and restarting the existing server using its shortcut. Never start two server processes against the same database.
Dashboard browser trust
Browser trust is needed only on PCs that open the dashboard; receiving-only PCs do not need it. In Server & certificates, select Trust dashboard on this PC in the intended enrolled PC’s row.
The person at that PC approves or declines the public-CA request in the receiving agent. Approval affects that Windows user’s trust store and creates a Nuntivra dashboard shortcut with its icon. It is separate from a dashboard account and does not grant all-users trust. Verify the request and certificate before accepting it.
Requests expire after 24 hours. Connected agents check about every two seconds; use the monitoring result to distinguish pending, declined, failed and installed states.
Licence, registration and trial reminders
In Administration → Licence & subscription, review licence status and Registered to details. Name, Company and Administrator email are mandatory at installation. These contact details are shared with William Hall for licence administration and trial-expiry reminders; they do not create a dashboard account and are not sent to receiving agents.
An installation trial starts after successful online registration with the configured licensing service and lasts 30 days. Enter an annual or lifetime key to activate a paid entitlement. Recheck online status refreshes validation. A lifetime key has no annual entitlement expiry but still requires periodic online validation.
One server licence covers the dashboard and its enrolled agents. After expiry, new alerts are blocked; existing incident acknowledgements, cancellation, stand-down, history and export remain available. Connectivity, trusted HTTPS and correct server time matter when validation fails.
During the final seven days of an active trial, signed-in administrators receive a browser reminder at most once per browser per day. Reminder email depends on the owner service’s enabled SMTP configuration and mail-provider availability. Paid installations are excluded from trial-expiry reminders.
Preserve installation data when updating. If installation identity or licensing data has been lost, download a recovery request and contact the licensing owner; recovery is an owner-administered action and does not restart the trial or paid term.
Appearance, refresh and help
The Light mode/Dark mode button changes the dashboard appearance and remembers the preference in this browser. Help uses the same preference and offers its own theme button. Browser storage restrictions may limit persistence.
Refresh reloads the current view’s data. F5 refreshes the signed-in view without discarding the in-memory token. A full browser reload or hard refresh can require signing in again. Use Help & user manual for searchable current-version instructions, contents, an alphabetical index and printing.
Updates, backup and removal
Before updating, stop the affected application and back up its data, certificates and credentials. Extract the correct server or agent update into its existing native installation folder. Run Apply-Nuntivra-Update.cmd, then restart using its shortcut. Use administrator rights for an all-users installation.
The update helper repairs matching launchers, registered names and shortcuts. Superseded executables and previously shipped older manuals are backed up under data rather than mixed into the current installation. Ordinary data and saved live settings are retained. Read the included update instructions before applying it.
For a fresh server, use Nuntivra-Mass-Communication-Server-Setup.exe in an empty installation folder. Fresh setup refuses an existing data directory. Use an enrolled-PC package for receiving agents.
Use Windows Installed apps or the supplied uninstaller. Keeping data is the default. Review any option to remove retained data carefully. Pinned taskbar shortcuts may need to be unpinned and pinned again after an executable name change.
Troubleshooting
Cannot sign in: verify the server address and account token, confirm the account is enabled and check connectivity. An agent token cannot sign in to the dashboard. A browser refresh does not restore a revoked token.
Computer offline: check the agent is running in the receiving Windows session, the saved server URL resolves, the server is running and the public CA matches the server certificate. Check the agent’s displayed connection error. Do not disable certificate verification.
Alert not displayed: check target sites, departments, groups, channel eligibility, lifecycle and expiry. Compare the saved delivery records with connectivity; online alone is not a display receipt. For a live alert, check server, account and receiving-agent permission layers.
Licence validation fails: check trusted HTTPS, connectivity and server time, then use Recheck online status. Preserve the error and installation recovery request for support. Do not delete licensing data to troubleshoot.
Data may be stale: check the last confirmed timestamp and refresh. Check server logs and connection errors when refresh repeatedly fails. Directory enablement alone does not enable delivery. Complete provider connection and handset tests, then explicitly enable the channel.
Alphabetical index
- Administration sections
- Appearance, refresh and help
- Compose, review and send
- Dashboard browser trust
- Delivery states, cancellation and stand-down
- Departments and named groups
- Edit, disable and reset access
- Enrol and install receiving computers
- History and export
- Installation and email confirmation
- Licence, registration and trial reminders
- Monitor response
- Organisation sign-in and manual dashboard users
- Overview and computer connectivity
- Quick start
- SMS and WhatsApp directory
- Saved exercise and live templates
- Server address and certificates
- Sign-in and account roles
- Sites, departments and named groups
- Troubleshooting
- Updates, backup and removal
Guided WhatsApp templates and rich content
In Administration → SMS & WhatsApp, select the WhatsApp provider account. The guide provides a copyable example body and a link to your provider's template builder. Submit the template there for WhatsApp approval; Nuntivra cannot approve it. Keep exactly two message-body placeholders: {{1}} is the EXERCISE, LIVE ALERT, STAND-DOWN or SETUP TEST label and title; {{2}} is the message. Add realistic samples when submitting for approval. Body whitespace is flattened for template parameters.
Twilio needs the approved Content SID. Meta needs the template name, language and an IT-selected supported Graph API version. Test connection loads the actual approved layout. For Twilio cards, the title field is the WhatsApp message body; card.body is for RCS. Use separate placeholder numbers from {{3}} upwards for Twilio attachment or website suffix values. Meta text headers and website buttons each have their own local placeholder {{1}}.
Supported approved layouts include a Meta text heading (fixed or one changing value), one JPEG/PNG image, PDF document or MP4 video, a fixed footer, and up to three website, phone-call or quick-reply buttons. Twilio supports text, media, call-to-action, quick-reply and card Content Templates; a fixed heading may be included in its body, while a separate native text header is supported through Meta. Unsupported components are rejected. Button labels, fixed headings, call numbers and fixed links come from the approved template and cannot be freely changed.
After loading the layout, complete the defaults requested by the guide: heading replacement, attachment URL or changing website-button suffix. Media must use a publicly reachable HTTPS URL matching the approved media type and any approved Twilio URL pattern. Local files cannot be uploaded through this screen. Providers retrieve media from that URL and validate its actual type and size; avoid confidential or short-lived links, and ensure it remains available for delivery. A changing website suffix cannot change the approved website host. Quick-reply buttons send a reply to the messaging provider; they do not record a Nuntivra acknowledgement. Inbound reply processing is not included.
Use Preview to review exercise, live or stand-down wording without sending a message or fetching media. The preview uses the last saved approved layout with the entered values; save any changes and repeat connection and handset tests before enabling. Messaging apps control final appearance. The rendered body must fit 1,024 characters including the approved wording (640 for Twilio call-to-action); changing text headings must fit 60 characters. The interface rejects missing values and unsupported combinations before sending.
Send a real setup test to an authorised handset, enter its code, then explicitly enable sending. Provider charges apply to tests and exercises. In Send an alert, optional WhatsApp details override the saved heading, attachment or changing button values for that alert. Review the resulting layout for each provider account before confirming. Saved exercise/live templates supply the normal alert content; rich values are entered separately. Clear or choose a different saved template to avoid carrying values into another alert.
Queued deliveries retain a snapshot of the rendered WhatsApp content. Monitor response and JSON/CSV history exports include that preview. Stand-down keeps the original rich values and recipients, changing the alert label and message; review whether the original attachment and links remain appropriate. Messages already submitted cannot be recalled.
When upgrading from releases before 0.24.8, existing WhatsApp connections are disabled once so IT can load and verify their approved layout, repeat the handset test and explicitly enable them. Settings and encrypted credentials are retained; SMS connections are unaffected. Re-testing or changing a connection disables sending, changes its route revision and stops older pending submissions rather than silently sending them through a changed template. Business onboarding, opt-in and supplier requirements remain IT's responsibility.
Installation storage and certificate confirmation
Windows may ask you to confirm installing the certificate even when the Trust certificate option is selected. Check that it belongs to your Nuntivra server before accepting. The installation agreement receipt is stored under data/legal on the server or agent; it includes accepted terms, SHA-256 hashes and UTC acceptance details. It is local evidence, not a digital signature or tamper-proof record. Customer EXEs bundle Python; loose application source is not installed.
The update repairs matching shortcut icons and Windows application registrations. Superseded assets are retained in a dated safety backup under data. Existing certificate subjects, installation folders and historical records are preserved for continuity; new certificates, downloads and assets use Nuntivra names.
Public licensing and purchase address
The public licensing service is https://nuntivra.zapto.org and the purchase page is https://nuntivra.zapto.org/purchase. New customer builds use this HTTPS hostname. Updates keep the existing installation identity, signing trust and licence records; changing the service address does not restart a trial. Older customer builds can continue using the retained IP route during the transition. Do not replace the authority signing key or delete licensing data.