Resources

This section provides reference material for NetBIOS names, including specifics on all unique and group name suffixes, as well as Netshell commands, RFCs, and other WINS documentation.

NetBIOS Names

Microsoft networking components, such as the Workstation service and Server service, allow the first 15 characters of a NetBIOS name to be specified by the user or administrator, but reserve the 16th character of the NetBIOS name (00–FF hex) to indicate a resource type. Following are some examples of NetBIOS names used by Microsoft components.

NetBIOS Names Reference

A user can specify the first 15 characters of a name in all Microsoft operating systems that support and use NetBIOS names. However, the 16th character of the name (00–FF hex) is always reserved to indicate a resource type.

Tables 7.20 and 7.21 contain additional details of the NetBIOS names used by Microsoft networking components when registering unique and group names.

Table 7.19 NetBIOS Unique Names

Description

Format

computer_name [00h]

Registered by the Workstation service on the WINS client. In general, this name is called the NetBIOS computer name.

computer_name [03h]

Registered by the Messenger service on the WINS client. The client uses this service when sending and receiving messages. This name is usually appended to the NetBIOS computer name for the WINS client computer and to the name of the user logged on to that computer when sending messages on the network.

computer_name [06h]

Registered by Routing and Remote Access on the WINS client (when the Routing and Remote Access service is started).

domain_name [1Bh]

Registered by each Windows 2000 Server domain controller running as the domain master browser. This name record is used to allow remote browsing of domains. When a WINS server is queried for this name, a WINS server returns the IP address of the computer that registered this name.

computer_name [1Fh]

Registered by the Network Dynamic Data Exchange (NetDDE) services; appears only if the NetDDE services are started on the computer.

computer_name [20h]

Registered by the Server service on the WINS client. This service is used to provide points of service for the WINS client to share its files on the network.

computer_name [21h]

Registered by the Routing and Remote Access Client service on the WINS client (when the Routing and Remote Access Client is started).

computer_name [BEh]

Registered by the Network Monitoring Agent Service and appears only if the service is started on the WINS client computer. If the computer name has fewer than 15 characters, plus symbols ( + ) are added to expand the name to 15 characters.

computer_name [BFh]

Registered by the Network Monitoring Utility (included with Microsoft® Systems Management Server). If the computer name has fewer than 15 characters, plus symbols ( + ) are added to expand the name to 15 characters.

user_name [03h]

User names for the currently logged-on users are registered in the WINS database. Each user name is registered by the Server service component so that the user can receive any net send commands sent to that user name. If more than one user logs on with the same user name, only the first computer logged on with that user name registers the name.

Table 7.20 NetBIOS Group Names

Format

Description

domain_name [00h]

Registered by the Workstation service so that it can receive browser broadcasts from LAN Manager–based computers.

domain_name [1Ch]

Registered for use by the domain controllers within the domain, and can contain up to 25 IP addresses.

domain_name [1Dh]

The name domain_name [1Dh] is registered for use by a master browser; there is only one master browser per subnet. Backup browsers use this name to communicate with the master browser to retrieve the list of available servers from the master browser. WINS servers always return a positive registration response for domain_name [1D], even though the WINS server does not register this name in its database. Therefore, when a WINS server is queried for domain_name [1D], the server always responds with a broadcast address, which forces the client to broadcast to resolve the name.

group_name [1Eh]

A normal group name. Any computers configured to be network browsers can broadcast to this name and listen for broadcasts to this name to elect a master browser. A statically mapped group name uses this name to register itself on the network. When a WINS server receives a name query for a name ending with [1E], the WINS server always returns the network broadcast address for the local network of the requesting client. The client can then use this address to broadcast to the group members. These broadcasts are for the local subnet and should not cross routers.

group_name [20h]

A special group name called the Internet Group is registered with WINS servers to identify groups of computers for administrative purposes. For example, "printersg" could be a registered group name used to identify an administrative group of print servers.

[01h][01h] __MSBROWSE__ [01h][01h]

Registered by the master browser for each subnet. When a WINS server receives a name query for this name, the WINS server always returns the network broadcast address for the local network of the requesting client.

NetShell Commands

The NetShell commands for WINS are an alternative to console-based management, and they are especially useful in certain special situations. They offer a fully equivalent command-line utility for administrating WINS servers.

For instance, when managing WINS servers in wide area networks (WANs), you can use NetShell commands in interactive mode at the NetShell command prompt to better manage WINS servers across slow-speed network links.

You can also issue commands as batch processes to script and automate administrative tasks that must be routinely performed for all WINS servers. This is especially useful when you manage a large number of WINS servers.

Table 7.21 lists commands that you can use at the NetShell command prompt—which is not the same as the Windows 2000 command prompt—to manage WINS servers. Each of these commands has additional notes on switches and usage, which can be obtained by typing the command name followed by /? At the command prompt.

Table 7.21 Netshell Commands

Command

Description

list

Lists all the available WINS commands.

dump

Dumps WINS server configuration to command output.

add name

Registers a name to the server.

add partner

Adds a replication partner to the server.

add pngserver

Adds a list of persona non grata servers for the current server.

check database

Checks the consistency of the database.

check name

Checks a list of name records against a set of WINS servers.

check version

Checks the consistency of the version number.

delete name

Deletes a registered name from the server database.

delete partner

Deletes a replication partner from the list of replication partners.

delete records

Deletes or tombstones all or a set of records from the server.

delete owner

Deletes a list of owners and their records.

delete pngserver

Deletes all or selected persona non grata (PNG) servers from the list. Replicas from PNG servers are not accepted during replication.

init backup

Initiates backup of WINS database.

init import

Initiates import from an LMHOSTS file.

init pull

Initiates replication and sends a pull trigger to another WINS server.

init pullrange

Initiates replication and pulls a range of records from another WINS server.

init push

Initiates replication and sends a push trigger to another WINS server.

init replicate

Initiates replication of database with replication partners.

init restore

Initiates restoring of database from a file.

init scavenge

Initiates scavenging of WINS database for the server.

init search

Initiates search on the WINS database for the server.

reset counter

Resets the server statistics.

set autopartnerconfig

Sets the automatic replication partner configuration info for the server.

set backuppath

Sets the backup parameters for the server.

set burstparam

Sets the burst handling parameters for the server.

set logparam

Sets the database and event logging options.

set migrateflag

Sets the migration flag for the server.

set namerecord

Sets registration interval and timeout values for the server, determining the rate at which registration records are renewed, deleted, and verified.

set periodicdbchecking

Sets periodic database checking parameters for the server.

set pullpartnerconfig

Sets the configuration parameters for the specified pull partner.

set pushpartnerconfig

Sets the configuration parameter for the specified push partner.

set pullparam

Sets the default pull parameters for the server.

set pushparam

Sets the default push parameters for the server.

set replicateflag

Sets the replication flag for the server.

set startversion

Sets the start version ID for the database.

show browser

Displays all active domain master browser [1Bh] records.

show database

Displays the database records for the specified server.

show info

Displays configuration information.

show name

Displays the detail information for a particular record in the server.

show partner

Displays all or pull or push partners for the server.

show partnerproperties

Displays default partner configuration.

show pullpartnerconfig

Displays configuration information for a pull partner.

show pushpartnerconfig

Displays configuration information for a push partner.

show reccount

Displays the number of records owned by a specific owner server.

show recbyversion

Displays records owned by a specific server.

show server

Displays the currently selected server.

show statistics

Displays the statistics for the WINS server.

show version

Displays the current version counter value for the WINS server.

show versionmap

Displays the mapping of owner IDs to maximum version numbers.

WINS Specifications (RFCs)

Requests for Comments (RFCs) are an evolving series of reports, proposals for protocols, and protocol standards used by the Internet community. Windows Internet Name Service (WINS) specifications are based on approved RFCs published by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) and other working groups.

The following RFCs contain the core specifications used to design WINS:

RFC 1001: Protocol Standard for a NetBIOS Service on a TCP/UDP Transport: Concepts and Methods

RFC 1002: Protocol Standard for a NetBIOS Service on a TCP/UDP Transport: Detailed Specifications

note-iconNote

RFCs 1001 and 1002 define a standard protocol to support NetBIOS services in a TCP/IP environment. These RFCs describe NetBIOS-over-TCP/IP (NetBT) protocols in a general manner, emphasizing the underlying ideas and techniques used by all NetBT implementations.

WINS complies with these RFCs and provides open, standards-based interoperability as a NetBIOS name service. However, because Microsoft has added significant enhancements beyond the protocol specified in the RFCs, WINS servers are more accurately described as enhanced NetBIOS name servers.