WINS Overview

While WINS servers are not needed in a network consisting entirely of Windows 2000–based computers, they are crucial for any network containing computers based on the older architectures of Windows NT 4.0, Windows 98, or Windows 95. This section describes the high-level architecture as well as the new features offered in this latest version of WINS. It also briefly covers the basic background of how WINS developed from the NetBIOS naming conventions of the 1980s.