Planning for Microsoft DNS and Microsoft WINS Integration

You can configure Microsoft DNS servers to use a Microsoft WINS server for host name resolution (remember that the host name portion of a fully qualified domain name (FQDN) is analogous to a NetBIOS computer name.) Microsoft DNS server includes support for inter-operation with the NetBIOS naming system of traditional Microsoft networking by delegating part of the name resolution process to computers running Microsoft WINS server. DNS names and NetBIOS computer names can be integrated as complementary naming schemes by using Microsoft WINS servers and Microsoft DNS servers.

A Microsoft DNS server can be configured to resolve the upper layers of a FQDN and, if necessary, to pass the final part of name resolution, the host name portion of the FQDN, to a Microsoft WINS server. The Microsoft WINS server can then use the host name (if it is the same as the NetBIOS computer name) to find the correct name-to-IP-address mapping. Once the WINS server finds the correct mapping, it then returns this information to the DNS server. The DNS server then sends the information to the DNS client; the interaction between the WINS server and the DNS server is transparent to the DNS client to whom it appears as though the DNS server handled the entire name resolution process.

Using Microsoft WINS and Microsoft DNS on a TCP/IP network allows network clients to use either a NetBIOS name or a DNS name to find, communicate with, and connect to network resources. When both Microsoft WINS and Microsoft DNS are enabled on a computer, the order of name resolution is as follows:

1. A name query that contains a name greater than 16 characters is first sent to the DNS server for name resolution.

2. If the name is less than or equal to 16 characters, the name query is sent to the WINS server. If the WINS server cannot resolve the name, the name query is forwarded to the DNS server.

By integrating Microsoft WINS and Microsoft DNS, you can use the dynamic names services of Microsoft WINS and reduce the number of static resource records you would normally have to maintain in a DNS database file. Note that this support is available only for Windows NT-based and Windows-based computers that are configured to use Microsoft DHCP and Microsoft WINS servers.

You can install Microsoft WINS server and Microsoft DNS server on the same computer or on different computers running under Windows NT Server version 4.0.

When configuring TCP/IP on a computer running Microsoft WINS server under Windows NT Server, consider the following recommendations:

To configure TCP/IP on a computer running Microsoft WINS server under Windows NT server

1. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.

2. Double-click Network.

3. On the Protocols tab, select TCP/IP Protocol, and click Properties.

4. Click the WINS Address tab.

5. Select the Enable DNS for Windows Resolution checkbox.

Unresolved host name queries will then be passed to a DNS server.

6. Click the DNS tab.

7. In the DNS Service Search Order list, type the IP address of the DNS server that is geographically (physically) closest to the WINS server.

You can enter multiple DNS servers in this list.

When configuring TCP/IP on a computer running Microsoft DNS Server under Windows NT Server, consider the following recommendations: