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Wins

haltok

I must say, i don't understand the need for WINS server. As far as i know all it does it make a list of netbios names. Why is that needed? clicking on net neighborhood will give you same result. what am i missing?

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Comments

mikiemov

Thats only if the workstation etc is WINS aware..

If your name resolution system is WINS and you have unix servers..you need a wins server to be able to resolve name/IP addresses.

Unless of course, you want to update every host file on the network.

And of course if your network covers multiple subnets, you will need a WINS server to be aware to forward packets for host names which are not on your subnet across routers.

Webmaster

It has exact the same function as any naming system like DNS for example. The primary difference is that WINS resolves Netbios names instead of hostnames. Before Windows 2000, Windows NOS did not use DNS, but WINS as the primary naming system. Follow the link below for more info. Normally a computer would have to send out a broadcast to discover the ip address of a computer, a WINS enabled client can query the WINS server saving a lot of network traffic in larger Netbios networks.

www.techexams.net/technotes/networkplus/networkservices.shtml

haltok

that is what i needed to know. thanks a lot.

Webmaster

mikiemov wrote:

If your name resolution system is WINS and you have unix servers..you need a wins server to be able to resolve name/IP addresses.

I'm sorry but that is as wrong as can be.

WINS is short for Windows Internet Naming Service. It does not operate on UNIX. UNIX uses hostnames, hence the hosts file, WINS is for NETBIOS names only. To reduce the administrative burden of creating hosts files, DNS was invented. DNS originated on UNIX. Pure-WINS is Windows-only (Win 2000 still supports it, but since Win 2000 MS changed from WINS to DNS as their primary naming system.). WINS is primarily used in Windows NT 4 environments. Unix can interact with WINS by using SAMBA.

Sartan

I actually use wins quite a bit, but I'm a lazy bum.
Not all of my computers on the networks I build are created with DHCP, so they're not DNS integrated. I can't remember obscure IPs, but I can easily remember workstation names.

\\Computer1\C$ is alot easier than \\10.167.4.60\C$ and is certainly much easier than editing the dns tree manually and adding an entry for a static IP.

In the case that a computer isn't on shared media with another computer, a WINS server needs to be able to catch addresses and retain a WINS->IP database.

WINS is definately used for Windows 98/NT domain logons extensively. Although you're right saying it isn't used anymore, a Windows 2000 Active Directory server running in Mixed Mode will have weird odd glitchy errors if you don't have some form of WINS in there somewhere and you're replicating. In short: Unless you're running a network with no legacy support, run a WINS server. They don't take much overhead for the odd request that they get.

Clicking on Network Neighborhood definately does use WINS names as well >:D But it also uses the prefix to your domain suffix in computer membership properties.

mikiemov

Webmaster wrote:

mikiemov wrote:

If your name resolution system is WINS and you have unix servers..you need a wins server to be able to resolve name/IP addresses.

I'm sorry but that is as wrong as can be.

Webmaster, just to clear up this point..more in my own mind than anything else..

If you were running an NT4.0 network and using WINS only as name resolution, you would need to add the name/IP address of a unix server to the WINS database ?