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What Is Wins

WINS (Windows Internet Name Service) resolves NetBIOS names to IP addresses to allow connections between devices using NetBIOS over TCP/IP. Clients register their NetBIOS names with the WINS server, which stores the name-to-address mappings. When another client needs an IP address to connect to a device by its NetBIOS name, it queries the WINS server, which returns the corresponding address. WINS reduces broadcast traffic, enables browsing across routers, and supports dynamic IP addressing with DHCP. WINS and DNS can both be used together to provide name resolution in NetBIOS and DNS namespaces.

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52 views2 pages

What Is Wins

WINS (Windows Internet Name Service) resolves NetBIOS names to IP addresses to allow connections between devices using NetBIOS over TCP/IP. Clients register their NetBIOS names with the WINS server, which stores the name-to-address mappings. When another client needs an IP address to connect to a device by its NetBIOS name, it queries the WINS server, which returns the corresponding address. WINS reduces broadcast traffic, enables browsing across routers, and supports dynamic IP addressing with DHCP. WINS and DNS can both be used together to provide name resolution in NetBIOS and DNS namespaces.

Uploaded by

jaymit123
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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What Is WINS?

Updated: March 28, 2003

Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003 with SP1, Windows Server
2003 with SP2

Role of WINS in the Network


Although NetBIOS and NetBIOS names can be used with network protocols other than TCP/IP, WINS was designed
specifically to support NetBIOS over TCP/IP (NetBT). WINS is required for any environment in which users access
resources that have NetBIOS names. If you do not use WINS in such a network, you cannot connect to a remote
network resource by using its NetBIOS name unless you use Lmhosts files, and you might be unable to establish
file and print sharing connections.

The following figure illustrates the role of WINS for computers that use NetBIOS names. Typically, DHCP is used to
assign IP addresses automatically.

WINS Name Registration and Resolution

In a typical scenario, the following occurs:

1. ClientA, which uses NetBIOS and is a WINS client, sends a name registration request to its configured
primary WINS server (WINSA) when it starts up and joins the network. WINSA adds ClientA's NetBIOS
name and IP address to the WINS database.

2. When ClientB needs to connect to ClientA by its name, it requests the IP address from the WINS server.

3. The WINS server locates the corresponding entry in its database and replies with ClientA's IP address.

Summary of WINS Benefits


WINS provides the following benefits over other NetBIOS name resolution methods:

 WINS name resolution reduces NetBIOS name query broadcast traffic because clients can query a WINS
server directly instead of broadcasting queries.

 WINS enables the Computer Browser service to collect and distribute browse lists across IP routers.

 The WINS dynamic name-to-address database supports NetBIOS name registration and resolution in
environments where DHCP-enabled clients are configured for dynamic TCP/IP address allocation.

 The WINS database also supports centralized management and replicates name-to-address mappings to
other WINS servers.
 WINS and DNS can be used in the same environment to provide combined name searches in both
namespaces.

WINS and DNS


WINS and DNS are both name resolution services for TCP/IP networks. While WINS resolves names in the NetBIOS
namespace, DNS resolves names in the DNS domain namespace. WINS primarily supports clients that run older
versions of Windows and applications that use NetBIOS. Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003
use DNS names in addition to NetBIOS names. Environments that include some computers that use NetBIOS
names and other computers that use domain names must include both WINS servers and DNS servers.

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