NetBIOS Node Type

Hi All,

Wonder if I can get a second opinion on something.

We have a large number of Windows XP PCs in an Active Directory
domain. DNS is of course configured and working, and we also have a
pair of WINS servers as well.

At one time, PCs and servers used to be on a single subnet. We don't
explicitly configure NetBIOS node type, but a quick check using
IPCONFIG indicates that they are set to hybrid, which will try WINS
but fail over to broadcasts if necessary.

This is, I believe, best practice, and worthwile when PCs and servers
were on a single subnet. However, there are no servers on the PC
network (that matter) and the router does of course not forward
broadcasts.

In the current configuration, PCs are registering in both WINS and DNS
(as of course they should) and going to both of these for lookups
(again as they should) but some are also registering by broadcast and
trying to resolve (unsuccessfully) by broadcast as well. This
represents a (significant) overhead.

One option is to set the NetBIOS node type to P-node: 0x02 Peer (WINS
only) so that is will no longer use broadcasts. There's no point
broadcasting, as it will always fail. This will reduce the number of
broadcasts quite substantially, and hopefully speed up PC response -
once it get's a "no such server" from WINS/DNS, it will come back to
the user, rather than wasting seconds to try name resolution one last
time via broadcast which is never going to work.

This does make my absolutely dependent on WINS, but I'm already there
today (because servers are on a separate subnet and the router doesn't
forward broadcasts). Besides, Active Directory is absolutely
dependent on DNS as well, so this shouldn't really be a big deal.

What are your thoughts? Good idea? Bad idea?

Kind regards,

Anwar

Would it not be simpler to run a WINS server in this subnet? It would not
require a high-powered machine. Workstation grade hardware would do.

<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:0263ecc2-4c88-4b95-9845-(E-Mail Removed)...
> Hi All,
>
> Wonder if I can get a second opinion on something.
>
> We have a large number of Windows XP PCs in an Active Directory
> domain. DNS is of course configured and working, and we also have a
> pair of WINS servers as well.
>
> At one time, PCs and servers used to be on a single subnet. We don't
> explicitly configure NetBIOS node type, but a quick check using
> IPCONFIG indicates that they are set to hybrid, which will try WINS
> but fail over to broadcasts if necessary.
>
> This is, I believe, best practice, and worthwile when PCs and servers
> were on a single subnet. However, there are no servers on the PC
> network (that matter) and the router does of course not forward
> broadcasts.
>
> In the current configuration, PCs are registering in both WINS and DNS
> (as of course they should) and going to both of these for lookups
> (again as they should) but some are also registering by broadcast and
> trying to resolve (unsuccessfully) by broadcast as well. This
> represents a (significant) overhead.
>
> One option is to set the NetBIOS node type to P-node: 0x02 Peer (WINS
> only) so that is will no longer use broadcasts. There's no point
> broadcasting, as it will always fail. This will reduce the number of
> broadcasts quite substantially, and hopefully speed up PC response -
> once it get's a "no such server" from WINS/DNS, it will come back to
> the user, rather than wasting seconds to try name resolution one last
> time via broadcast which is never going to work.
>
> This does make my absolutely dependent on WINS, but I'm already there
> today (because servers are on a separate subnet and the router doesn't
> forward broadcasts). Besides, Active Directory is absolutely
> dependent on DNS as well, so this shouldn't really be a big deal.
>
> What are your thoughts? Good idea? Bad idea?
>
> Kind regards,
>
> Anwar
>

U are right, it sounds like best practise.
so why take into question ? if there are no network issues ?!
jk