Browsing Disconnect W3K/W2K

I have a windows server 2003 master browser/domain controller that just will
not listen to browser announcements from windows 200o domain members. Until
I set up a WINS server on one of the w3k dc's, the w2k member servers could
not browse at all. ("List of servers not available for this workgroup.")
When I turned up the WINS Server, they started to browse, but the only to
the domain controllers. The contents of the WINS database is exactly what
it should be. All the computers are there: they're all announcing. The W3K
browser service is just not consulting WINS, it seems.

Luckily I'm in a test network environment. Six computers attached to one
10Mbps hub.

The problem began when I migrated my two w2kas dc's to w3k. I added active
directory to two w3k-enterprise member servers, then moved the fsmo roles to
them. I made both new w3k dc's global catalogs. Then I deinstalled the AD
from the two w2k ex-DC's.

Then browsing came to grief. I had to untangle a bunch of old
inconsistencies, such as the remaining w2k servers pointing to a WINS server
whose WINS service had been removed. I found that the last w2k server
demoted from a DC left lots of entries in the DNS service on the W3K
servers. (Perhaps I hadn't told it to use the new w3k DNS server as its
chosen DNS server -- so I removed the entries manually.)

Browstat reports that the only computers in the domain, wherever it is run,
are the two domain controllers.

Is there a switch to make the W3K browser service listen to non-W3K
announcements - or to make it talk to a WINS service?

You seem a bit confused about how browsing works.

Basically, the browser service runs purely on LAN broadcasts. WINS only
gets involved as a way for the segment browsers to find each other across
routers to build a merged browse list. DNS isn't involved at all.

So first up, check that all machines are using Netbios over TCP/IP. You
cannot merge browse lists between Netbt and Netbeui. They build separate
browse lists.

If you have a Netbt segment master browser building a list in each
segment, the domain master browser will build a network-wide browse list,
using WINS to find the segment master browsers (using the special Netbios
names for browsers).

"Robert Hindla" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:BC1874E0.A555%(E-Mail Removed)...
> I have a windows server 2003 master browser/domain controller that just
will
> not listen to browser announcements from windows 200o domain members.
Until
> I set up a WINS server on one of the w3k dc's, the w2k member servers
could
> not browse at all. ("List of servers not available for this workgroup.")
> When I turned up the WINS Server, they started to browse, but the only to
> the domain controllers. The contents of the WINS database is exactly what
> it should be. All the computers are there: they're all announcing. The
W3K
> browser service is just not consulting WINS, it seems.
>
> Luckily I'm in a test network environment. Six computers attached to one
> 10Mbps hub.
>
> The problem began when I migrated my two w2kas dc's to w3k. I added
active
> directory to two w3k-enterprise member servers, then moved the fsmo roles
to
> them. I made both new w3k dc's global catalogs. Then I deinstalled the
AD
> from the two w2k ex-DC's.
>
> Then browsing came to grief. I had to untangle a bunch of old
> inconsistencies, such as the remaining w2k servers pointing to a WINS
server
> whose WINS service had been removed. I found that the last w2k server
> demoted from a DC left lots of entries in the DNS service on the W3K
> servers. (Perhaps I hadn't told it to use the new w3k DNS server as its
> chosen DNS server -- so I removed the entries manually.)
>
> Browstat reports that the only computers in the domain, wherever it is
run,
> are the two domain controllers.
>
> Is there a switch to make the W3K browser service listen to non-W3K
> announcements - or to make it talk to a WINS service?
>