Testing Your WINS Design

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

After completing your WINS design, test it in a lab to find potential problems before implementing your design on your production network. As you roll out your design, test your network to ensure it is working as expected.

The best time to discover potential problems with your design is in a test lab prior to your full implementation. When preparing your test lab, be sure to:

  • Use a server computer from the same vendor and with the same configuration as the servers that will be used for the actual WINS servers. Set up a representative sample of the computers in your organization to be tested as WINS clients.

  • If you are planning to deploy WINS over a WAN, design your lab with routers and use a link simulator to simulate network latency.

  • Deploy a typical set of applications together on the WINS test server. This step is vital in determining any compatibility issues that might arise when users run different applications simultaneously.

For more information about planning a test environment, see "Designing a Test Environment" in Planning, Testing, and Piloting Deployment Projects of this kit.