Windows Internet Name Service (WINS) is a NetBIOS name client. It manages the name resolution process by maintaining an up-to-date list of NetBIOS computer names and their respective IP addresses.

IP networks rely on number-based addresses to move information throughout the network. Computers communicate by using unique hardware addresses built into their respective network interface cards. Computers with Windows-based operating systems are assigned a unique name, known as the computer's NetBIOS name. NetBIOS naming allows you to refer to another computer on the network by its name rather than by its hardware address.

Because NetBIOS relies heavily on broadcasts, it does not perform well on large, segmented networks. For example, when a computer on the network looks for another computer on the network, it broadcasts its request and each computer on the network listens to see if it is the intended target. Broadcasts increase network traffic and generally do not pass through routers. WINS solves the broadcast problem by using directed communications.

When using TCP/IP on your network, you must assign each network interface card a unique IP address. Then, to use the familiar NetBIOS names instead of assigned IP addresses, you must resolve the NetBIOS names to their respective IP addresses. In other words, when you configure the client computer with the IP address of the WINS server, the client computer sends the request directly to the WINS server rather than broadcasting it. The WINS server, in turn, sends the IP address of the target computer back to the computer who sent the original request.

Alternatively, enable DHCP for the interface by configuring the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Comm\ <Adapter Name> \Parms\Tcpipregistry key. Set the EnableDhcpvalue to 1 to obtain the IP address for the interface and the WINS server(s).

For more information about the WINS server service, see this Microsoft Web site , and then search for WINS.

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