Windows 2000 Services and Protocols

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TCP/IP is the standard network protocol used by Windows 2000. If a client needs to access file and print resources from NetWare or Macintosh servers, Microsoft supplies either the protocol necessary for connectivity on these networks or a compatible protocol for these environments. An example of such a compatible protocol is NWLink which is the Microsoft implementation of Novell IPX/SPX protocol.

You can install Services for Macintosh, which includes the AppleTalk protocol, on client computers that need access to Macintosh resources. Macintosh clients can also access file servers by running TCP/IP.

Windows 2000 attempts network connectivity with remote servers using network protocols in the order of the local area connection specified by the user in the Advanced Settings dialog box. Install and enable only the protocols that you need. For instance, if you only need TCP/IP, but have IPX loaded as well, it generates unnecessary IPX and SAP network traffic.

TCP/IP Network Clients

TCP/IP is one of the most widely used network protocols. Clients on a TCP/IP network can have an IP address assigned to them either statically, by the network administrator, or dynamically, by the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server.

Windows 2000 uses a new DNS service called DNS dynamic update DNS is used as the namespace provider whether the client is using DHCP or static IP addresses. Windows clients can now forgo the requirement to use WINS, and instead simply use DNS. In previous Windows networks, WINS was used in conjunction with DHCP, allowing hosts to dynamically register their NetBIOS name and IP address in the WINS database. You still need WINS if you have any clients on your network that are running Microsoft® Windows NT® Workstation, Microsoft® Windows® 95, Microsoft® Windows® 98, or Microsoft® Windows® 3.1, because these clients use the NetBIOS name method.

Using Microsoft DNS on your network offers certain advantages; DNS:

  • Provides interoperability with other DNS servers, such as Novell NDS and UNIX Bind.

  • Integrates with and is required for the support of Active Directory™.

  • Integrates with other networking services, such as WINS and DHCP.

  • Allows clients to update resource records by dynamically registering their DNS names and IP addresses.

  • Supports incremental zone transfers between servers.

  • Supports new resource record types including the Services Locator (SRV) and Asynchronous Transfer Mode Addresses (ATMA) records.

Before you install Microsoft TCP/IP on a system, determine whether the client will receive static or dynamic IP addresses. Identify whether the hosts on your network are using DHCP or if your IP addresses are statically assigned.

DHCP

Using the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) allows a client to receive an IP address automatically. This helps avoid configuration errors caused by the need to manually type in values at each computer. Also, DHCP helps prevent address conflicts that occur when a previously assigned IP address is reused to configure a new computer on the network. In addition, the DHCP lease renewal process helps assure that where client configurations need to be updated often (such as users with mobile or portable computers who change locations frequently), these changes can be made efficiently and automatically. Finally, deploying DHCP in a network allows a much more efficient use and management of your organization's address space, because addresses that are no longer used by devices are reintroduced in the address pool and reallocated to other clients.

To enable DHCP, a client simply needs to have the Obtain an IP address automatically radio button selected in the TCP/IP Properties property sheet, which is accessible through the Local Area Connection icon. This option is enabled by default when a Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT, or Windows 2000 Professional client is initially installed, so if you are using DHCP, you do not need to manually set your IP configuration.

The benefits of using DHCP are as follows:

  • You do not have to manually change the IP settings when a client, such as a roaming user, travels throughout the network. The client is automatically given a new IP address no matter which subnet it reconnects to, as long as a DHCP server is accessible from each of those subnets.

  • There is no need to manually configure settings for DNS or WINS. These settings can be given to the client by the DHCP server, as long as the DHCP server has been configured to issue DHCP clients such information. To enable this option on the client , simply select the Obtain DNS server address automatically option button. For more information about DNS and WINS, see "TCP/IP Network Clients" later in this chapter.

  • There are no conflicts caused by duplicate IP addresses.

For more information about deploying DHCP, see "Determining Network Connectivity Strategies"in this book .

Static Addresses

If your IP addresses are assigned statically, you have the following information available:

  • The IP address and subnet mask for each network adapter installed in the client.

  • The IP address for the default gateway.

  • Whether or not the client is participating in DNS or WINS.

  • If the client is participating in DNS, the name of the DNS domain that the client is currently part of, and the IP addresses of the primary and backup DNS servers.

  • If the client is participating in WINS, the IP addresses for the primary and backup WINS servers.

Active Directory

Windows 2000 now supports Active Directory, but Windows 95 (and later) and Windows NT 4.0 clients need add-on Active Directory client software. A client configured with Active Directory can log on to the network by locating a domain controller. The client can then fully benefit from the Active Directory feature. These benefits include:

  • Immediate access to information about all of the objects on a network.

  • Use of the security features of Active Directory through logon authentication and access control.

note-iconNote

The Active Directory Client for Windows 95 and Windows 98 is provided in a single upgrade pack in a Clients folder on the Windows 2000 Server CD-ROM.

IPX Network Clients

Windows clients are interoperable with NetWare servers by using Client Services for NetWare, or Gateway Services for NetWare.

If there are servers on the network that use Novell NetWare operating systems, then Windows clients can use Client Services for NetWare to connect directly to the server, or they can connect indirectly to a Windows 2000–based server that is running Gateway Services for NetWare.

The steps required to gain client access to NetWare resources are:

  1. Install Client Services for NetWare. This allows you to make direct connections to NetWare resources. The NetBIOS NWLink protocol is installed when Client Services for NetWare is installed. This is the Microsoft version of the IPX protocol, and supports connectivity between systems running Windows 2000 Server and systems running NetWare 4. x and earlier.

  2. Connect to NetWare volumes. After installing the services listed previously, you can connect to a NetWare volume by clicking My Network Places on the desktop.

  3. Connect to NetWare file and print resources. You can add a NetWare printer in a Windows 95 or later client by going to the Printers folder in the Settings menu, and follow the Printer Installation Wizard. You can add NetWare printers in the wizard by typing in the name of the printer in normal Universal Naming Convention (UNC) format.

Gateway Services for NetWare

You can install Gateway Services for NetWare on a Windows 2000–based server to enable it to act as a gateway. Clients can then connect to NetWare resources without running NWLink, using TCP/IP only. The server runs Gateway Services for NetWare and NWLink, linking the client to the NetWare server. This service is included with Windows 2000 Server.

File and Print Services for NetWare

This service is a separate product and enables a Windows 2000–based server to provide file and print services directly to a NetWare server and compatible client computers. Resources connected through this service appear to NetWare clients like any NetWare server and clients can gain access to volumes, files, and printers on the server. No changes or additions to the NetWare client software are necessary.

Client Services for NetWare

This service enables client computers to make direct connections to file and printer resources on NetWare servers running NetWare 2. x , 3. x , or 4. x . You can use Client Services for NetWare to gain access to servers running either Novell Directory Services or bindery security. This service is included with Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT, and Windows 2000 Professional.