Is WINS necessary?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Jim
  • Start date Start date
J

Jim

I'm familiar to some degree with DNS but don't really follow the need for
WINS. I'm sure it serves a purpose but could someone please help me find a
quick summary of how it helps me?

Than you
 
In an AD domain WINS is needed for pre Win 2k clients.
Pre Win 2k clients don't use DNS to find the domain.

hth
DDS W 2k MVP MCSE
 
If you don't have any Win 9x and under clients, don't
even both with WINS. W2K and up use DNS.
 
You are being given poor, or at best incomplete, advice.

If you have multiple subnets AND
If you have legacy clients (NT or 9x) you need WINS server(s), OR
If you have legacy applications you need WINS server(s)

Almost everyone has a "legacy application" they wish to run:
The Browser, i.e., Network Neighborhood.

There are also other minor things that don't work completely correctly even
in an all Win2000+ domain (most are not big deals but the browser is usually
the kicker for most people.)

With a Single subnet you can get by with Broadcasts instead of WINS server
if you wish.
 
Generally it is good to have two for redundancy at which point you have to configure replication, but other than that,
there isn't much to WINS.

--
Joe Richards
www.joeware.net

--

Jim said:
I forgot to ask, is there anything I need to configure when I set up the
WINS server?
Click to expand...
 
I forgot to ask, is there anything I need to configure when I set up the
WINS server?
Click to expand...

Joe suggests two (so does Microsoft's general best practice) for fault
tolerance.

But there is something very important to CONFIGURE:

Ever machine's NIC/IP/Advanced/WINS properties to point to these
WINS servers.

NOTE: This includes DCs, WINS servers, and all other servers.

Worth repeating:
Makes DCs, WINS servers, and all other servers: WINS Clients.

The reason, if you don't set the servers as WINS Clients, they will never
register with WINS and thereby be findable by what most people THINK OF
as "clients."
 
Thank you

Herb Martin said:
Joe suggests two (so does Microsoft's general best practice) for fault
tolerance.

But there is something very important to CONFIGURE:

Ever machine's NIC/IP/Advanced/WINS properties to point to these
WINS servers.

NOTE: This includes DCs, WINS servers, and all other servers.

Worth repeating:
Makes DCs, WINS servers, and all other servers: WINS Clients.

The reason, if you don't set the servers as WINS Clients, they will never
register with WINS and thereby be findable by what most people THINK OF
as "clients."
Click to expand...
 
Wait a second,
I have a windows 2000/2003 Domain with multipule netowrks and I was
told by my exchange person that in order for exchange to work I need
wins and if I don't have wins working at one of my locations my
exhange does not work ?
Is this wrong
 
It may be true depending on how your configuration is. Basically you
need short host name resolution because there are times that Exchange
will take a full qualified name it was given and chop it down to the
host name and try to resolve it. In some environments, that will not
resolve so Microsoft put a general KB out there that you need WINS for
Exchange to work properly.


--
Joe Richards Microsoft MVP Windows Server Directory Services
Author of O'Reilly Active Directory Third Edition
www.joeware.net


---O'Reilly Active Directory Third Edition now available---

http://www.joeware.net/win/ad3e.htm
 
Back
Top