T
tek
What command can I execute to find which PC is acting as the WINS
server in my LAN?
server in my LAN?
S
Steve Winograd [MVP]
If a network connection has been configured to use a WINS server,
"ipconfig/all" will show the server's IP address.
At the risk of stating what you already know: a typical workgroup
network doesn't have a WINS server. WINS usually requires a computer
running a server operating system.
--
Best Wishes,
Steve Winograd, MS-MVP (Windows Networking)
Please post any reply as a follow-up message in the news group
for everyone to see. I'm sorry, but I don't answer questions
addressed directly to me in E-mail or news groups.
Microsoft Most Valuable Professional Program
http://mvp.support.microsoft.com
T
tek
The \windows\system32\drivers\etc\hosts files on each PC do not
contain static IPs because the router is the DHCP server. What allows
me to ping by hostname if there is no WINS server available? I must be
missing something in the way NetBIOS works.
T
tek
I downloaded the nblookup tool and these are the results I get when I
execute it. It's telling me that each PC is an acting WINS server and
I don't understand how that can be true. BTW, I should mention all the
PCs in the LAN are Windows XP Home SP2.
C:\Temp>nblookup -s pc1
pc1 resolved to 192.168.0.106
Default Server: 192.168.0.106
Recursion is on
Querying WINS Server: 192.168.0.106
NetBIOS Name: pc1
Suffix: 20
Name returned: PC1
Record type: Unique
IP Address: 192.168.0.106
....
C:\Temp>nblookup -s pc2
pc2 resolved to 192.168.0.105
Default Server: 192.168.0.105
Recursion is on
Querying WINS Server: 192.168.0.105
NetBIOS Name: pc2
Suffix: 20
Name returned: PC2
Record type: Unique
IP Address: 192.168.0.105
L
Lanwench [MVP - Exchange]
tek said:
That's apples to oranges.....and note that hosts isn't for NetBIOS. That's
LMHOSTS.
NetBIOS is broadcast based. Without a WINS server (which you don't normally
have in a workgroup), your workstations are all participating in browser
elections and hollering at each other over the network. "Hey, have you seen
SERVER1? Oh, over there? Thanks."
WINS essentially shuts them up and says, "just check here when you want
NetBIOS name resolution." Your WINS server is usually your master browser -
when you have WINS, you can even stop & disable the computer browser service
on all the workstations. Without WINS, you need it running.
L
Lanwench [MVP - Exchange]
tek said:
No. Browser.
See http://www.chicagotech.net/netbios&wins.htm for some more help
explaining this all....
S
Steve Winograd [MVP]
I think that the results from running the NBLookup tool on your
network are misleading. There is no WINS server in a Windows XP
workgroup network like yours. I suspect that the WINS server that the
NBLookup identifies is the computer that was able to resolve the
computer name that you queried. In a workgroup, that name resolution
is done using NetBIOS over TCP/IP, not using WINS.
With no WINS server, you can assign static IP addresses to all of the
computers and create an LMHosts file (not a Hosts file) on each
computer that specifies the mapping of NetBIOS names to IP addresses.
But neither WINS nor LMHosts should be necessary on a workgroup
network, unless the network has multiple IP subnets.
Why are you asking about WINS in the first place? If something isn't
working right, there's probably a better solution.
--
Best Wishes,
Steve Winograd, MS-MVP (Windows Networking)
Please post any reply as a follow-up message in the news group
for everyone to see. I'm sorry, but I don't answer questions
addressed directly to me in E-mail or news groups.
Microsoft Most Valuable Professional Program
http://mvp.support.microsoft.com
T
tek
I just couldn't figure out how the ping by hostname was bale to work
when:
1. I'm using DHCP to acquire IPs from the router
2. The IPs are not in the hosts file
3. The IPs are not in the lmhost file
4. I didn't assign a PC to act as a WINS server
5. Only one PC of the four PCs in the LAN has the Computer Browser
service running
My TCP/IP settings for each PC has "Use NetBIOS from DHCP server"
selected. This must be the key to being able to ping by hostname?
The router being a Linksys BEFSR1 v3 router.
L
Lanwench [MVP - Exchange]
Did you read the link I posted?
Then it's going to be the master browser. If you don't have a WINS server I
suggest you set computer browser to automatic on all your computers.
Actually, it means NetBIOS over TCP/IP is *enabled* on that computer because
you have a DHCP configured address, basically. Your router is not doing this
name resolution for you
If you don't have WINS or an internal DNS server and can ping a
computer/node by name, it's simply working via broadcast. Is that clearer
now?
Not relevant, tho.
T
tek
Gotcha, Thanks
L
Lanwench [MVP - Exchange]
tek said:
No prob.
R
Ron Lowe
"Lanwench [MVP - Exchange]"
Hi, all.
I'd just like to add some clarification, if I may
The default name resolution sequence for windows XP is:
1) DNS:
check local DNS cache;
check hosts file;
query DNS server ( if configured);
if that fails, revert back to
2)NetBIOS:
Check Netbios name cache;
check LMHOSTS file;
Query WINS server ( if configured );
Try Netbios broadcasts.
On a win2k or above domain, the DNS server will be where it succeeds.
In a serverless workgroup, it will fall all the way down to the method of
last resort, Netbios broadcasts.
Here, all machines listen out for broadcasts containing their name, and
respond to the broadcaster with their IP address.
The exact priority within netbios ( wins / brodcast ) can be changed using a
parameter called NodeType.
What I described was the default, which is generally fine.
For name resolution, the browser does not come into it.
You can shut the browser system totally down on all the machines, and
Netbios broadcast name resolution will still work.
The browser's job is to maintain a list of machine names only, not IP
addresses.
This is only used to populate the 'browse list', which you see when you
'show workgroup computers', or do a 'net view'.
It also uses Netbios broadcasts to operate.
Hope this is illuminating!
Best Regards,
Ron Lowe
Hi, all.
I'd just like to add some clarification, if I may
The default name resolution sequence for windows XP is:
1) DNS:
check local DNS cache;
check hosts file;
query DNS server ( if configured);
if that fails, revert back to
2)NetBIOS:
Check Netbios name cache;
check LMHOSTS file;
Query WINS server ( if configured );
Try Netbios broadcasts.
On a win2k or above domain, the DNS server will be where it succeeds.
In a serverless workgroup, it will fall all the way down to the method of
last resort, Netbios broadcasts.
Here, all machines listen out for broadcasts containing their name, and
respond to the broadcaster with their IP address.
The exact priority within netbios ( wins / brodcast ) can be changed using a
parameter called NodeType.
What I described was the default, which is generally fine.
For name resolution, the browser does not come into it.
You can shut the browser system totally down on all the machines, and
Netbios broadcast name resolution will still work.
The browser's job is to maintain a list of machine names only, not IP
addresses.
This is only used to populate the 'browse list', which you see when you
'show workgroup computers', or do a 'net view'.
It also uses Netbios broadcasts to operate.
Hope this is illuminating!
Best Regards,
Ron Lowe
L
Lanwench [MVP - Exchange]
Ron Lowe said:"Lanwench [MVP - Exchange]"
Hi, all.
I'd just like to add some clarification, if I may
The default name resolution sequence for windows XP is:
1) DNS:
check local DNS cache;
check hosts file;
query DNS server ( if configured);
if that fails, revert back to
2)NetBIOS:
Check Netbios name cache;
check LMHOSTS file;
Query WINS server ( if configured );
Try Netbios broadcasts.
On a win2k or above domain, the DNS server will be where it succeeds.
In a serverless workgroup, it will fall all the way down to the
method of last resort, Netbios broadcasts.
Here, all machines listen out for broadcasts containing their name,
and respond to the broadcaster with their IP address.
The exact priority within netbios ( wins / brodcast ) can be changed
using a parameter called NodeType.
What I described was the default, which is generally fine.
For name resolution, the browser does not come into it.
You can shut the browser system totally down on all the machines, and
Netbios broadcast name resolution will still work.
The browser's job is to maintain a list of machine names only, not IP
addresses.
This is only used to populate the 'browse list', which you see when
you 'show workgroup computers', or do a 'net view'.
It also uses Netbios broadcasts to operate.
Hope this is illuminating!
Best Regards,
Ron Lowe
Thanks for the clarification, Ron.