Can i completely remove WINS?

Idris · External Since: May 23, 2007 Posts: 8

Hi,

After my previous post of having a few problems with WINS i was wondering if
i could just remove WINS entirely.

Our setup.
Mulitple NT domains inlcuding servers, workstations and accounts. 2 WINS
servers based on the PDC and BCD for one of the NT domains.
Multiple AD domains including servers, workstations and accounts. 2 DNS
servers, 1 located at each logical and phyiscal site.

I can't find any info on reasons to or not to remove WINS.

Any suggestions - i'm not sure what we need to for anymore but reluctant to
incase it causes major problems obviously.

Thanks.

Herb Martin · External Since: Dec 31, 2006 Posts: 392

"Idris" <idris.DeleteThis@iddiinisde.com> wrote in message
news:O9dunDMtHHA.1728@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...
> Hi,
>
> After my previous post of having a few problems with WINS i was wondering
> if i could just remove WINS entirely.

It's almost always a bad idea IF you have more than one Subnet.

You need WINS Server (and every computer a WINS Clients including DCs
and WINS Servers even) IF you have either legacy systems (you do) or
legacy applications (Browsing is one such but there are a dozen more, some
even part of the OS.)

> Our setup.
> Mulitple NT domains inlcuding servers, workstations and accounts. 2 WINS
> servers based on the PDC and BCD for one of the NT domains.

If you needed WINS Server for NT4 you need it for Win2003 (and problably
2008).

> Multiple AD domains including servers, workstations and accounts. 2 DNS
> servers, 1 located at each logical and phyiscal site.

Why so many domains?

> I can't find any info on reasons to or not to remove WINS.

Do you wish to support Browsing, Legacy Machines, or have any of the other
(usually) minor reasons for making NetBIOS work?

> Any suggestions - i'm not sure what we need to for anymore but reluctant
> to incase it causes major problems obviously.

WINS is NOT a hard thing to get right so likely your answer is in fixing the
problems rather than removing it.

--
Herb Martin, MCSE, MVP
http://www.LearnQuick.Com
(phone on web site)

Idris · External Since: May 23, 2007 Posts: 8

Well that pretty much suggests not to even think about removing WINS! Smile

My main issue which i would like to resolve is my previous post entitled:
WINS Error - 4260 and 4261.
Any advice on that would solve all my problems with it.

"Herb Martin" <news DeleteThis @learnquick.com> wrote in message
news:ejWUeUMtHHA.3364@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
>
> "Idris" <idris DeleteThis @iddiinisde.com> wrote in message
> news:O9dunDMtHHA.1728@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...
>> Hi,
>>
>> After my previous post of having a few problems with WINS i was wondering
>> if i could just remove WINS entirely.
>
> It's almost always a bad idea IF you have more than one Subnet.
>
> You need WINS Server (and every computer a WINS Clients including DCs
> and WINS Servers even) IF you have either legacy systems (you do) or
> legacy applications (Browsing is one such but there are a dozen more, some
> even part of the OS.)
>
>> Our setup.
>> Mulitple NT domains inlcuding servers, workstations and accounts. 2 WINS
>> servers based on the PDC and BCD for one of the NT domains.
>
> If you needed WINS Server for NT4 you need it for Win2003 (and problably
> 2008).
>
>> Multiple AD domains including servers, workstations and accounts. 2 DNS
>> servers, 1 located at each logical and phyiscal site.
>
> Why so many domains?
>
>> I can't find any info on reasons to or not to remove WINS.
>
> Do you wish to support Browsing, Legacy Machines, or have any of the other
> (usually) minor reasons for making NetBIOS work?
>
>> Any suggestions - i'm not sure what we need to for anymore but reluctant
>> to incase it causes major problems obviously.
>
> WINS is NOT a hard thing to get right so likely your answer is in fixing
> the
> problems rather than removing it.
>
> --
> Herb Martin, MCSE, MVP
> http://www.LearnQuick.Com
> (phone on web site)
>

Herb Martin · External Since: Dec 31, 2006 Posts: 392

"Idris" <idris DeleteThis @iddiinisde.com> wrote in message
news:u6%23YTXMtHHA.4824@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...
> Well that pretty much suggests not to even think about removing WINS! Smile

> My main issue which i would like to resolve is my previous post entitled:
> WINS Error - 4260 and 4261.
> Any advice on that would solve all my problems with it.

You usually want to check Event IDs (and Source) at EventID.net
EventID.Net
http://www.eventid.net/display.asp?eventid=4260&source=WINS

4260 is about duplicate names (and doesn't therefore sound too serious
if you don't have any other problems.)

This Google search also gets you (a lot of) info at Microsoft:

[ site:microsoft.com 4260 | 4261 wins server ]

How to Troubleshoot WINS Event IDs 4261 and 4262
support.microsoft.com/kb/176202

Sounds like these are maybe old records (names) owned perhaps
by (now) lost WINS Servers....

--
Herb Martin, MCSE, MVP
http://www.LearnQuick.Com
(phone on web site)

> "Herb Martin" <news DeleteThis @learnquick.com> wrote in message
> news:ejWUeUMtHHA.3364@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
>>
>> "Idris" <idris DeleteThis @iddiinisde.com> wrote in message
>> news:O9dunDMtHHA.1728@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...
>>> Hi,
>>>
>>> After my previous post of having a few problems with WINS i was
>>> wondering if i could just remove WINS entirely.
>>
>> It's almost always a bad idea IF you have more than one Subnet.
>>
>> You need WINS Server (and every computer a WINS Clients including DCs
>> and WINS Servers even) IF you have either legacy systems (you do) or
>> legacy applications (Browsing is one such but there are a dozen more,
>> some
>> even part of the OS.)
>>
>>> Our setup.
>>> Mulitple NT domains inlcuding servers, workstations and accounts. 2 WINS
>>> servers based on the PDC and BCD for one of the NT domains.
>>
>> If you needed WINS Server for NT4 you need it for Win2003 (and problably
>> 2008).
>>
>>> Multiple AD domains including servers, workstations and accounts. 2 DNS
>>> servers, 1 located at each logical and phyiscal site.
>>
>> Why so many domains?
>>
>>> I can't find any info on reasons to or not to remove WINS.
>>
>> Do you wish to support Browsing, Legacy Machines, or have any of the
>> other
>> (usually) minor reasons for making NetBIOS work?
>>
>>> Any suggestions - i'm not sure what we need to for anymore but reluctant
>>> to incase it causes major problems obviously.
>>
>> WINS is NOT a hard thing to get right so likely your answer is in fixing
>> the
>> problems rather than removing it.
>>
>> --
>> Herb Martin, MCSE, MVP
>> http://www.LearnQuick.Com
>> (phone on web site)
>>
>
>

Tomasz Onyszko · External Since: Jun 22, 2007 Posts: 1

Idris wrote:
> Hi,
>
> After my previous post of having a few problems with WINS i was wondering if
> i could just remove WINS entirely.
>
> Our setup.
> Mulitple NT domains inlcuding servers, workstations and accounts. 2 WINS
> servers based on the PDC and BCD for one of the NT domains.
> Multiple AD domains including servers, workstations and accounts. 2 DNS
> servers, 1 located at each logical and phyiscal site.
>
> I can't find any info on reasons to or not to remove WINS.
>
>
> Any suggestions - i'm not sure what we need to for anymore but reluctant to
> incase it causes major problems obviously.

It looks like You have bunch of legacy systems there so You require WINS
for name resolution for those systems

--
Tomasz Onyszko
http://www.w2k.pl/ - (PL)
http://blogs.dirteam.com/blogs/tomek/ - (EN)