In Windows 95, the browse service maintains an up-to-date list of domains, workgroups, and computers, and provides this list to applications when requested. The user sees the list in the following types of circumstances:
The selected browse server also sends a list of the other workgroups it knows about that are defined on the network, along with a list of computers in the workgroup to which the user belongs.
The browse list is displayed in the Map Network Drive and Connect Network Printer dialog boxes, or anywhere that Windows 95 presents lists of resources that can be browsed. The browse list can also be displayed by using the net view command. The list can contain the names of domains, workgroups, and computers running the File and Printer Sharing service, including the following:
When a computer running Windows 95 is started on the network, it announces itself to the master browse server for its workgroup, and the master browse server adds that computer to the list of available computers in the workgroup. The master browse server then notifies backup browse servers that a change to the browse list is available. The backup browse servers then request the new information to update their local browse lists. It might take as long as 15 minutes before a backup browse server receives an updated browse list, and new computers on the network do not show up in a user's request for a browse list until then.
When a user shuts down a computer properly, the operating system informs the master browse server that it is shutting down. The master browse server then notifies backup browse servers that a change to the browse list is available. The backup browse servers then request the changes to the browse list.
If a user turns off the computer without shutting down, the computer does not get a chance to send the message to the master browse server. In this case, the computer name might continue to appear in the browse list until the name entry times out, which can take up to 45 minutes.