Browsing lists and NetBIOS

  • Thread starter Thread starter Network Rookie
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Network Rookie

Dear fellows. I've finally understood how this resource
sharing matter involving NetBIOS, Lmhosts and WINS works.
I just miss what this browsing list thing is related to.
Running an nbtstat command from console I saw there were
'domain master browsers','master browsers',etc which
maintained such lists.


1) Are those lists supposed to substitute
name resolving or registration methods as
Lmhosts or WINS ?

2) If not, are they used in conjunction
with any of those ? How ?

Thanks in advance.

Network Rookie.
 
The browse list has nothing to do with name resolution itself, it is simply a behind
the scenes mechanism to make accessing network shares easy for a user via a graphical
interface. Browse masters are not actually assigned but have their own election
process to determine which computer on the network will be the browse master based on
the operating system and usually a domain controller will be the domain master
browser - specifically the pdc fsmo role holder in W2K. When you boot your computer
it announces itself to the network, if file and print sharing is installed and
netbios overt tcp/ip is enabled, via a broadcast that the browse master then adds to
the browse list and removes your computer when you shut down properly. When you try
to access My Network Places, your computer contacts the browse master and it tells
your computer where there is a backup browser that will send you the current browse
list and that is how you "see" network resources.

Since much of the browse list is broadcast based, browsing across subnets, including
VPN access, is usually not possible unless you have wins in place or use lmhosts
files on the browse masters in each subnet. The reason is that the browse lists can
be combined for a like named domain/workgroup if the subnet browse masters can find
each other and have the browse lists combined. That is where wins and lmhosts come
in. As you discovered, those entries will also be in the wins database if wins is
used and the master browsers are also wins clients as they should be. Then when a
master browser needs to be located the client can look in the wins database. ---
Steve
 
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