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WINS Tools and Settings

  • Article

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

In this section

  • WINS Tools

  • WINS Registry Settings

  • DHCP Options for WINS

  • Network Ports Used by WINS

The “WINS Tools” section describes tools that are useful for configuring, managing, and monitoring WINS servers and databases. Some of the tools are specific to WINS, while others are not.

The “WINS Registry Settings” section describes registry entries that are useful in specific circumstances and need to be set directly by using Regedit.exe. Registry entries that are not described in this section are modified by the tools described in the “WINS Tools” section.

The “DHCP Options for WINS” section describes the DHCP options that relate specifically to WINS.

The “Network Ports Used by WINS” section lists the ports that WINS uses for specific purposes.

WINS Tools

The following tools are associated with WINS.

Jetpack.exe: Jetpack

Category

The Jetpack tool is included as part of the operating system.

Version compatibility

Jetpack runs on Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000, and the Windows Server 2003 family.

This tool compacts the WINS database while the database is offline. (Database compaction also runs as an automatic background process during idle time after a database update while the server is online. Dynamic compaction, however, does not reclaim as much space as offline compaction.)

Jetpack copies database information to a temporary database, deletes the original WINS database, and then renames the temporary database to the original name.

Nbtstat.exe: Nbtstat

Category

The Nbtstat tool is included as part of the operating system.

Version compatibility

Nbtstat runs on, and can target, computers running Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000, Windows XP, and the Windows Server 2003 family.

This tool displays NetBIOS over TCP/IP (NetBT) protocol statistics, NetBIOS name tables for both the local computer and remote computers, and the NetBIOS name cache. It can be used to refresh the NetBIOS name cache and to release and reregister the names registered with WINS during troubleshooting.

To find more information about Nbtstat.exe, see “Command Line References” in the “Tools and Settings Collection.”

Netsh.exe: Netsh

Category

The Netsh commands for WINS are included as part of the operating system.

Version compatibility

The Netsh commands for WINS run on, and can target, computers running the Windows Server 2003 family and Windows 2000 Server. There are some functional differences between the commands on Windows Server 2003 and Windows 2000 Server.

This tool provides a command-line alternative to the WINS Microsoft Management Console (MMC) snap-in for administering WINS servers. Command-line management can be advantageous in the following ways:

  • Commands run in interactive mode can more efficiently manage WINS servers across slow wide area network (WAN) links.

  • Commands run in batch mode can automate recurring tasks for managing many servers.

The Netsh extension that supports WINS server administration is available from the wins> prompt, which is available from the netsh> prompt.

The server command is available at the netsh wins> prompt for switching to a specific server context. The following table describes the commands available at the netsh wins server> prompt for administering a WINS server.

To find more information about Netsh commands for WINS, see “Command Line References” in the “Tools and Settings Collection.”

Network Connections

Category

Network Connections is included as part of the operating system.

Version compatibility

Network Connections runs on Windows 2000, Windows XP, and the Windows Server 2003 family.

Network Connections is used to configure WINS clients for the following:

  • Manually configure primary and secondary WINS servers (if DHCP option 44 is not used to configure the IP addresses of WINS servers)

  • Enable Lmhosts lookup

  • Enable or disable NetBT

These configuration options are available from the WINS tab in the advanced Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) properties for a connection.

Wins.dll: WINS Replication Network Monitor Parser

Category

WINS Replication Network Monitor Parser is included with Windows Server 2003 Resource Kit tools.

Version compatibility

WINS Replication Network Monitor Parser runs on Windows 2000 Server and the Windows Server 2003 family.

The WINS Replication Network Monitor Parser tool is a DLL that parses WINS data from within Network Monitor, a feature of Microsoft Windows. This tool is useful as a way to view and troubleshoot network issues related to WINS replication.

To find more information about WINS Replication Network Monitor Parser, see “Resource Kit Tools” in the “Tools and Settings Collection.”

Winsmgmt.msc: WINS Microsoft Management Console Snap-in

Category

The WINS MMC snap-in is included with the Windows Server 2003 family and Windows 2000 Server, and it is installed when the WINS Server service is installed. It is also included in the Windows Server 2003 Administration Tools Pack.

Version compatibility

The WINS snap-in runs on, and can target, computers running Windows 2000, Windows XP, and the Windows Server 2003 family.

The WINS snap-in configures and manages WINS servers and databases by supporting the functions described in the following table.

Function Options

Configures server properties
  • Frequency for updating server statistics

  • Database backup settings

  • Time intervals for aging and deleting name entries in the database

  • Database consistency-checking settings

  • Logging settings

  • Burst handling settings

  • Database path and name

  • Starting version ID value

  • LAN Manager compatibility

Configures database replication properties
  • General properties, such as which WINS servers are used for replication and how static mappings are handled

  • Push partner properties, such as when push replication is initiated and whether persistent connections are used

  • Pull partner properties, such as when pull replication is initiated, how many attempts are made, and whether persistent connections are used

  • Blocking or accepting replication only from specific partners

  • Automatic discovery of replication partners

Manages WINS servers
  • Add and delete WINS servers

  • Add, remove, and configure replication partners

  • Start and stop WINS service

  • Display server statistics

Manages WINS databases
  • Manually initiate replication

  • Display database records

  • Manually initiate the scavenge (database cleanup) process

  • Initiate backup or restore

  • Manually delete records

  • Delete owners

  • Initiate database consistency checks, which verify local database records against records in the owner databases

  • Initiate version ID consistency checks, which verify that owner version IDs are higher than replica version IDs at other WINS servers

  • Create static name mappings

  • Import Lmhosts files

  • Verify name records

WINS Registry Entries

The following registry entries are associated with WINS and might need to be modified to customize a WINS client or WINS server configuration. Additional registry entries associated with WINS are modified by options in the WINS snap-in and Netsh commands. These tools should be used to update registry entries whenever possible.

The information here is provided as a reference for use in troubleshooting or verifying that the required settings are applied. It is recommended that you do not directly edit the registry unless there is no other alternative. Modifications to the registry are not validated by the registry editor or by Windows before they are applied, and as a result, incorrect values can be stored. This can result in unrecoverable errors in the system. When possible, use Group Policy or other Windows tools, such as Microsoft Management Console (MMC), to accomplish tasks rather than editing the registry directly. If you must edit the registry, use extreme caution.

The registry entries associated with WINS are under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\NetBT\

The following registry entries are located under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\NetBT\Parameters. These registry entries are used by NetBT and are used to configure WINS clients.

BcastNameQueryCount

Registry path

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\NetBT\Parameters\

Version

The BcastNameQueryCount entry is included in Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000, Windows XP, and the Windows Server 2003 family.

The BcastNameQueryCount entry specifies the number of times that NetBT broadcasts a unique name query if no response is received.

For more information about BcastNameQueryCount, see “Registry Reference” in the “Tools and Settings Collection.”

BcastQueryTimeout

Registry path

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\NetBT\Parameters\

Version

The BcastQueryTimeout entry is included in Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000, Windows XP, and the Windows Server 2003 family.

The BcastQueryTimeout entry specifies the time in milliseconds between successive broadcast queries for a unique name.

For more information about BcastQueryTimeout, see “Registry Reference” in the “Tools and Settings Collection.”

CacheTimeout

Registry path

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\NetBT\Parameters\

Version

The CacheTimeout entry is included in Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000, Windows XP, and the Windows Server 2003 family.

The CacheTimeout entry specifies the time in milliseconds that NetBT caches NetBIOS names.

For more information about CacheTimeout, see “Registry Reference” in the “Tools and Settings Collection.”

EnableProxy

Registry path

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\NetBT\Parameters\

Version

The EnableProxy entry is included in Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000, Windows XP, and the Windows Server 2003 family.

The EnableProxy entry configures a computer to act as a WINS proxy for B-node clients on the local subnet.

NodeType

Registry path

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\NetBT\Parameters\

Version

The NodeType entry is included in Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000, Windows XP, and the Windows Server 2003 family.

The NodeType entry specifies the method NetBT uses to register and resolve NetBIOS names. The default NodeType is B-node. Configuring a client to use a WINS server sets this entry to H-node. The registry entry can be modified with Regedit.exe for M-node or P-node.

For more information about NodeType, see “Registry Reference” in the “Tools and Settings Collection.”

Size/Small/Medium/Large

Registry path

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\NetBT\Parameters\

Version

The Size/Small/Medium/Large entry is included in Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000, Windows XP, and the Windows Server 2003 family.

The Size/Small/Medium/Large entry specifies the maximum number of entries that can be held in the NetBIOS name cache of recently resolved NetBIOS names.

ScopeID

Registry path

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\NetBT\Parameters\

Version

The ScopeID entry is included in Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000, Windows XP, and the Windows Server 2003 family.

The ScopeID entry sets the NetBIOS scope, which is an optional, additional qualifier for NetBIOS names. Use of the scope identifier is discouraged.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\WINS\

The registry entries under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\WINS\Parameters are used to configure WINS servers. Most of these registry entries are set by using the WINS snap-in or the WINS Netsh commands. The registry entries described in this section need to be modified by using Regedit.exe.

DataFiles

Registry path

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\WINS\Parameters\

Version

The DataFiles entry is included in Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000, and the Windows Server 2003 family.

The DataFiles subkey contains a list of files that contain static name records. WINS uses these files to initialize and reinitialize the local database. This subkey does not exist in the registry by default. This subkey and its entries are needed if static name records are used.

InitTimePause

Registry path

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\WINS\Parameters\

Version

The InitTimePause entry is included in Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000, and the Windows Server 2003 family.

The InitTimePause registry entry determines whether WINS starts in a paused state and remains in that state until the first replication is complete. While in a paused state, WINS does not accept any name service requests.

This registry entry can be used in conjunction with the WINS snap-in option for triggering push or pull replication at system startup to restore a WINS database by using replication.

DHCP Options for WINS

When Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) is used to dynamically assign IP addresses in a WINS environment, you can use DHCP options to define the primary and secondary WINS servers and the name resolution method used by DHCP clients. The following table lists the DHCP options that are associated with WINS.

DHCP Options Associated with WINS

DHCP Option Description

44

Identifies the WINS servers to be used by DHCP clients.

46

Defines the NetBIOS Node Type: B-node, P-node, M-node, or H-node. This option typically does not need to be set because WINS clients are automatically set to H-node when they are configured with WINS servers.

47

Identifies the NetBIOS scope ID to be used by the DHCP client. Using NetBIOS scope IDs is not recommended.

For more information about DHCP options, see “DHCP Tools and Settings.”

Network Ports Used by WINS

The ports listed in the following table are used by specific WINS services.

WINS Port Assignments

Service Name UDP TCP

NetBIOS Name Service

137 (client and server)

 

WINS replication

 

42

WINS replication partner automatic discovery

42