Windows Internet Name Service
Windows Internet Name Service |
|
The new implementation of WINS for Windows 2000 provides the following enhancements:
Persistent Connections Now you can configure each WINS server to maintain a persistent connection with one or more replication partners. This increases the speed of replication and eliminates the overhead of opening and terminating connections.
Manual Tombstoning You can manually mark a record for eventual deletion, called tombstoning. The tombstone state of the record then replicates across all WINS servers, preventing an active copy on a different server database from propagating the record.
Improved Management Utility The WINS management console is fully integrated with the Microsoft Management Console (MMC), a user-friendly and powerful environment you can customize for efficiency. Because all server administrative utilities included with Windows 2000 Server are part of MMC, new MMC-based utilities are easier to use and faster to learn. MMC-based utilities operate more predictably and follow a common design.
Enhanced Filtering and Record Searching Improved filtering and new search functions help you locate records by showing only those records that fit the criteria you specify. These functions are particularly useful for analyzing very large WINS databases.
Dynamic Record Deletion and Multi-Select Dynamic record deletion and multi-select help you manage the WINS database. With the WINS management console, you can point, click, and delete one or more WINS static or dynamic entries. This function was not available in earlier command-based utilities for WINS administration (such as Winscl). You can also now delete records that use names containing non-alphanumeric characters.
Record Verification and Version Number Validation Record verification compares the IP addresses returned by a NetBIOS name query of different WINS servers. Version number validation examines the owner address–to–version number mapping tables. These features quickly check the consistency of names stored and replicated on your WINS servers.
Export Function You can export WINS data to a comma-delimited text file, which you can import or process with Microsoft Excel, reporting tools, scripting programs, or other programs for analysis and reporting.
Increased Fault Tolerance for Clients Clients running Windows 2000 or Windows 98 can specify a maximum of 12 WINS servers per interface (up from the earlier limit of two). The extra WINS server addresses are used only if the primary and secondary WINS servers fail to respond.
Dynamic Renewal of Clients A WINS client does not need to restart after it renews its registration of local NetBIOS names. Nbtstat includes a new option, –RR, which provides the ability to release and then renew a NetBIOS name registration. This feature of Nbtstat can also be used on WINS client computers running under Windows NT 4.0 that have been updated to Service Pack 4 or later.
Read-Only Console Access to the WINS Management Console WINS Setup automatically adds a special-purpose local users group, the WINS Users group, when WINS is installed. By adding members to this group, you can provide read-only access via the WINS management console to WINS-related information on this server computer for non-administrators. Membership allows a user to view—but not to modify—information and properties stored at a specific WINS server.
All of these features make Windows 2000 WINS the ideal choice for NetBIOS name resolution. WINS makes life easier for managers of routed networks, and solves the problems of internetwork name resolution in complex wide area networks (WANs).