Adding XP Client to NT 4 Domain

I'm working with a small older network that has
a single NT 4 Server PDC and 3 Windows 95 client
machines. I need to add a newer Windows XP Pro
machine into the NT 4 domain. The server isn't
currently running the DNS or WINS server services.
Name resolution is done by NetBIOS broadcasts.

What do I need to do to able to join the XP Pro
machine to the NT 4 domain? Right now the XP Pro
machine can't resolve the name of the NT 4 server
and can't join the domain. Should I install the
DNS and WINS server services on the server?

It should work fine if you are using Netbios over TCP/IP (Netbt). Make
sure that this is enabled on the XP NIC.

If NT and W95 are using Netbeui, enabling WINS won't do much for you,
since it depends on Netbt. XP doesn't support Netbeui out of the box, but it
can be added if required. See KB 301041 .

"David Owens" <"david_owens[no spam]"@alumni.clemson.edu> wrote in message
news:e5RLd.47$(E-Mail Removed)...
> I'm working with a small older network that has
> a single NT 4 Server PDC and 3 Windows 95 client
> machines. I need to add a newer Windows XP Pro
> machine into the NT 4 domain. The server isn't
> currently running the DNS or WINS server services.
> Name resolution is done by NetBIOS broadcasts.
>
> What do I need to do to able to join the XP Pro
> machine to the NT 4 domain? Right now the XP Pro
> machine can't resolve the name of the NT 4 server
> and can't join the domain. Should I install the
> DNS and WINS server services on the server?

Bill Grant wrote:
> It should work fine if you are using Netbios over TCP/IP (Netbt). Make
> sure that this is enabled on the XP NIC.
>
> If NT and W95 are using Netbeui, enabling WINS won't do much for you,
> since it depends on Netbt. XP doesn't support Netbeui out of the box, but it
> can be added if required. See KB 301041 .

So you're saying that the XP Pro machine should be able
to join the NT 4 domain if I'm using NetBIOS over TCP/IP
with no DNS or WINS server service on the NT 4 server?
I was unable to get the XP machine to resolve the name
of the NT 4 server or join the domain using just Netbt.

The NT 4 server and Win95 clients are connected to a
coaxial thinnet Ethernet segment using only TCP/IP.
To get these computers networked with the new XP Pro
machine, I connected the coaxial Ethernet segment to
a hub that has a coaxial BNC port on the back and some
RJ45 10BASE-T ports on the front. The hub connects to
a broadband router that has a 4-port switch using the
RJ45 ports. The XP Pro machine connects directly to
the 4-port switch on the router.

I can ping the NT 4 server's IP address from the XP
Pro machine, but it can't resolve the server's name
to an IP address. I thought that NetBIOS broadcasts
from the server would get sent by the hub to the switch
to the XP Pro machine. I don't know if there is a problem
with the way I have the two different types of Ethernet
networking connected or if I just need to use DNS and WINS
server services on the NT 4 server now that there is an
XP Pro machine on the network.

If they are all in the same IP subnet and on the same Ethernet segment,
you should not need WINS. Name resolution should work fine using broadcasts.
So the question is whether they are actually in the same Ethernet segment as
far as broadcasts are concerned. I suspect that something in your (rather
convoluted) setup is not forwarding broadcasts. If you can ping by IP, the
routing must be OK.

If you install WINS on the server and set all your workstations to be
WINS clients, it should all work. The workstations will register with WINS,
and they will use WINS to resolve names of other machines on the network
rahter than relying on broadcasts.

"David Owens" <"david_owens[no spam]"@alumni.clemson.edu> wrote in message
news:S97Md.3160$(E-Mail Removed)...
> Bill Grant wrote:
>> It should work fine if you are using Netbios over TCP/IP (Netbt). Make
>> sure that this is enabled on the XP NIC.
>>
>> If NT and W95 are using Netbeui, enabling WINS won't do much for you,
>> since it depends on Netbt. XP doesn't support Netbeui out of the box, but
>> it can be added if required. See KB 301041 .
>
> So you're saying that the XP Pro machine should be able
> to join the NT 4 domain if I'm using NetBIOS over TCP/IP
> with no DNS or WINS server service on the NT 4 server?
> I was unable to get the XP machine to resolve the name
> of the NT 4 server or join the domain using just Netbt.
>
> The NT 4 server and Win95 clients are connected to a
> coaxial thinnet Ethernet segment using only TCP/IP.
> To get these computers networked with the new XP Pro
> machine, I connected the coaxial Ethernet segment to
> a hub that has a coaxial BNC port on the back and some
> RJ45 10BASE-T ports on the front. The hub connects to
> a broadband router that has a 4-port switch using the
> RJ45 ports. The XP Pro machine connects directly to
> the 4-port switch on the router.
>
> I can ping the NT 4 server's IP address from the XP
> Pro machine, but it can't resolve the server's name
> to an IP address. I thought that NetBIOS broadcasts
> from the server would get sent by the hub to the switch
> to the XP Pro machine. I don't know if there is a problem
> with the way I have the two different types of Ethernet
> networking connected or if I just need to use DNS and WINS
> server services on the NT 4 server now that there is an
> XP Pro machine on the network.