Testing Techniques

While there is no centralized method to determine if the browse lists of all servers on an IP internetwork are complete, there are testing techniques to determine if the servers on a particular subnet are represented in the browse list on a remote subnet. These tests can be applied to all subnets throughout the internetwork. The results of these tests can change due to servers changing roles when browser elections occur. Only if all the servers in a domain remain completely static for the duration of the tests can the results continue to have meaning.

Important

The tests described here rely on the command-line tool Browstat.exe. For more information about Browstat.exe, see Windows 2000 Support Tools Help. For more information about installing and using the Windows 2000 Support Tools and Support Tools Help, see the file Sreadme.doc in directory \Support\Tools on the Windows 2000 operating system CD.

The output in the following examples are for TCP/IP only. As with most network problem diagnoses, in order to troubleshoot the browser service, the Administrator must have full knowledge of the network subnet boundaries and router configurations on the network.

Name resolution between all browsers is critical. Name resolution (using WINS, DNS, or LMHOSTS files) must be working properly throughout the network for browsing to operate correctly. You can waste a significant amount of time trying to track down browser problems that are really caused by faulty name resolution. For information about name resolution using WINS and LMHOSTS files, see "Windows Internet Name Service" in this book. For information about name resolution using DNS, see "Windows 2000 DNS" in this book.

Due to the time sensitivity of the browser service, wait 48 minutes after the server you are testing has booted before performing the following tests.