Configuring Replication Across WANs

  • Article

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

When configuring WINS replication across WANs, the two most important issues are:

  • Whether your WINS replication occurs over slower WAN links.

  • The length of time required for all replicated changes in the WINS database to converge and achieve consistency on the network.

The frequency of WINS database replication between WINS servers is a major design issue. The WINS server database must be replicated frequently enough to prevent the downtime of a single WINS server from affecting the reliability of the mapping information in other WINS servers. However, the time interval between replications cannot be so small that it interferes with network throughput.

Network topology can influence your decision on replication frequency. For example, if your network has multiple hubs connected by relatively slow WAN links, you can configure WINS database replication between WINS servers on the slow links to occur less frequently than replication on the LAN or on fast WAN links. This reduces traffic across the slow link and reduces contention between replication traffic and WINS client name queries.

After determining the replication strategy that works best for your organization, map the strategy to your physical network. For example, if you have chosen a hub-and-spoke strategy, indicate on your network topology map which sites have the "hub" server, and which have the "spoke" servers. Also indicate whether the replication is push/pull, push-only, or pull-only.

Document the configurations of each WINS server, including the hardware configuration, IP address, replication configuration, and replication partners.

For more information about WIN configuration across WANs, see "Configuring WINS replication" in Help and Support Center for Windows Server 2003.