The Registry parameters for WINS servers are specified under the following key:
..\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Wins\Parameters
This subkey lists all the nonreplication-related parameters needed to configure a WINS server. It also contains a \Datafiles subkey, which lists all the files that should be read by WINS to initialize or reinitialize its local database.
Data type = REG_SZ or REG_EXPAND_SZ
Range = path name
Default = %SystemRoot%\system32\wins\wins.mdb
Specifies the full path name for the WINS database file.
Data type = REG_DWORD
Range = 0 or 1
Default = 0 (false—that is, the WINS server does not initialize its database)
If this parameter is set to a non-zero value, the WINS server will initialize its database with records listed in one or more files listed under the \Datafiles subkey. The initialization is done at process invocation and whenever a change is made to one or more values of the \Parameters or \Datafiles keys (unless the change is to change the value of DoStaticDataInit to 0).
Data type = REG_DWORD
Range = 0 or 1
Default = 0 (no initial pause)
If set to 1, WINS starts in the paused state—that is, WINS does not accept any name registrations, releases, or queries—until it has replicated with its partners, or failed in the attempt, at least once. If InitTimePause is set to 1, the \WINS\Partners\Pull\InitTimeReplication parameter should be either set to 1 or removed from the Registry.
Data type = REG_SZ or REG_EXPAND_SZ
Default = %SystemRoot%\system32\wins
This parameter specifies the directory location of the log files created by WINS. These files are used for recovery in case of a soft failure of WINS.
Data type = REG_DWORD
Default = 2400 (seconds)
This parameter specifies the time interval at which the WINS server sends a multicast to announce its presence to other WINS servers. The value is expressed in seconds. The minimum allowable value is 2400 seconds (40 minutes).
Data type = REG_DWORD
Range = 1 to 32
Default = 6
This parameter specifies the number of times a WINS multicast announcement can cross a router to another network.
Data type = REG_DWORD
Range = 1 to 40
Default = Number of processors on the computer
This parameter specifies the number of worker threads. It can be changed without restarting the WINS computer.
Data type = REG_DWORD
Range = 0 or 1
Default = 0 (false—that is, the priority class is normal)
If the parameter is set to a non-zero value, WINS runs in high priority class. This setting is useful to ensure that other processes, such as electronic mail or other applications, do not preempt WINS.
Data type = REG_DWORD
Range = 0 or 1
Default = 0
If the parameter is set to 1 and network routers support multicasting, WINS Server automatically finds other WINS servers on the network and configures them as push and pull partners. If the parameter is set to 1 and network routers do not support multicasting, WINS finds other WINS servers only on its subnet.
By default, partnership data created in this way is maintained automatically. When a WINS server is discovered through multicast, it is automatically removed as a replication partner when it shuts down gracefully. If the Registry information about this partnership is changed manually using WINS Manager, WINS Server no longer maintains the partnership information when there is a change.
The following parameters in this subkey can be set using the options available in the WINS Server Configuration dialog box:
LogDetailedEvents
LogFilePath
LoggingOn
RefreshInterval
TombstoneInterval (extinction interval)
TombstoneTimeout (extinction timeout)
VerifyInterval
Also, the \Wins\Parameters\Datafiles key lists one or more files that the WINS server should read to initialize or reinitialize its local database with static records. If the full path of the file is not listed, the directory of execution for the WINS server is assumed to contain the data file. The parameters can have any names (for example, DF1 or DF2). Their data types must be REG_SZ or REG_EXPAND_SZ.
Important The \Wins\Performance key contains values used for WINS performance counters that can be viewed in Performance Monitor. These values should be maintained by the system, so do not change these values.