Is WINS needed anymore?

I was wondering if most networks need to install and use WINS. Currently
all of our PCs are Windows 2000 or newer. Our network is Windows 2003 R2.
We use Exchange 2003, Oracle, and Citrix.

Any thoughts?

Exchange 2003 and WINS...
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/837391

"Corey Arndt" <> wrote in message
news:97E3E9E0-6712-4868-8B83-...
>I was wondering if most networks need to install and use WINS. Currently
>all of our PCs are Windows 2000 or newer. Our network is Windows 2003 R2.
>We use Exchange 2003, Oracle, and Citrix.
>
> Any thoughts?

Hello Corey,

You need WINS if you like to use network browsing over subnets. Also some
applications may rely on WINS. Basically in 2000 an higher OS version network
you can work with DNS only most of the time.

I run a 2003 R2 domain with Exchange 2003 and Citrix, no Oracle without WINS
and have no problems.

Best regards

Meinolf Weber
Disclaimer: This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers
no rights.
** Please do NOT email, only reply to Newsgroups
** HELP us help YOU!!! http://www.blakjak.demon.co.uk/mul_crss.htm


> I was wondering if most networks need to install and use WINS.
> Currently all of our PCs are Windows 2000 or newer. Our network is
> Windows 2003 R2. We use Exchange 2003, Oracle, and Citrix.
>
> Any thoughts?
>

"Corey Arndt" <> wrote in message
news:97E3E9E0-6712-4868-8B83-...
>I was wondering if most networks need to install and use WINS. Currently
>all of our PCs are Windows 2000 or newer. Our network is Windows 2003 R2.
>We use Exchange 2003, Oracle, and Citrix.

Simple answer: Yes

Complex answer: Yes (with lots of words and some "if, and's & buts"
included)

This question is asked maybe once every two months,...and takes the rest of
the month for everyone to stop arguing about it :-)


--
Phillip Windell

The views expressed, are my own and not those of my employer, or Microsoft,
or anyone else associated with me, including my cats.
-----------------------------------------------------

"Phillip Windell" <> wrote in message
news:%...
> "Corey Arndt" <> wrote in message
> news:97E3E9E0-6712-4868-8B83-...
>>I was wondering if most networks need to install and use WINS. Currently
>>all of our PCs are Windows 2000 or newer. Our network is Windows 2003 R2.
>>We use Exchange 2003, Oracle, and Citrix.
>
> Simple answer: Yes
>
> Complex answer: Yes (with lots of words and some "if, and's & buts"
> included)
>
> This question is asked maybe once every two months,...and takes the rest
> of the month for everyone to stop arguing about it :-)
>
>
> --
> Phillip Windell
>
> The views expressed, are my own and not those of my employer, or
> Microsoft,
> or anyone else associated with me, including my cats.
> -----------------------------------------------------
>
>


FWIW, here are my notes on it, albeit Exchange 2003 requiring it, but a pure
Exchange 2007 org not requiring it. I have one customer with two routed
sites that do not use WINS and browsing works fine. All clients are XP and
newer, all servers are 2003 and newer. NetBIOS traffic is blocked on the
routers (default).

---
Browser service without WINS across subnets

It appears to say that if all machines are Windows 2000 and newer, (nothing
older), AD provides NetBIOS resolution for all clients. But it doesn't say
how it goes about doing that. It goes on saying that the backup browsers and
master browsers for each segment over a WAN communicate to the PDC, which is
the browse master for a domain, over UDP 138, means that AD has a role in
this, but is not specific. My feeling is AD is using DirectSMB over 445, but
not sure. I cannot find anything on the mechanism. I'm one to want to know
and learn of the background functions of anything. Oh well...

Description of the Microsoft Computer Browser Service
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/188001


--
Ace

This posting is provided "AS-IS" with no warranties or guarantees and
confers no rights.

Please reply back to the newsgroup or forum for collaboration benefit among
responding engineers, and to help others benefit from your resolution.

Ace Fekay, MCT, MCTS 2008, MCTS Exchange, MCSE, MCSA 2003 & 2000, MCSA
Messaging
Microsoft Certified Trainer

For urgent issues, please contact Microsoft PSS directly. Please check
http://support.microsoft.com for regional support phone numbers.

Thank you all for your responses. Nothing sounds like a definate yes or no.
I think I will attempt a few tests to see what happens. Thank you again

"Corey Arndt" <> wrote in message
news:97E3E9E0-6712-4868-8B83-...
>I was wondering if most networks need to install and use WINS. Currently
>all of our PCs are Windows 2000 or newer. Our network is Windows 2003 R2.
>We use Exchange 2003, Oracle, and Citrix.
>
> Any thoughts?

"Corey Arndt" <> wrote in message
news:...
> Thank you all for your responses. Nothing sounds like a definate yes or
> no. I think I will attempt a few tests to see what happens. Thank you
> again
>
> "Corey Arndt" <> wrote in message
> news:97E3E9E0-6712-4868-8B83-...
>>I was wondering if most networks need to install and use WINS. Currently
>>all of our PCs are Windows 2000 or newer. Our network is Windows 2003 R2.
>>We use Exchange 2003, Oracle, and Citrix.
>>
>> Any thoughts?
>


You are welcome. Let us know of your results.

Ace

"Ace Fekay [MCT]" <> wrote in message
news:...
> "Phillip Windell" <> wrote in message FWIW, here
> are my notes on it, albeit Exchange 2003 requiring it, but a pure Exchange
> 2007 org not requiring it. I have one customer with two routed sites that
> do not use WINS and browsing works fine. All clients are XP and newer, all
> servers are 2003 and newer. NetBIOS traffic is blocked on the routers
> (default).
>
> ---
> Browser service without WINS across subnets
>
> It appears to say that if all machines are Windows 2000 and newer,
> (nothing older), AD provides NetBIOS resolution for all clients. But it
> doesn't say how it goes about doing that. It goes on saying that the
> backup browsers and master browsers for each segment over a WAN
> communicate to the PDC, which is the browse master for a domain, over UDP
> 138, means that AD has a role in this, but is not specific. My feeling is
> AD is using DirectSMB over 445, but not sure. I cannot find anything on
> the mechanism. I'm one to want to know and learn of the background
> functions of anything. Oh well...
>
> Description of the Microsoft Computer Browser Service
> http://support.microsoft.com/kb/188001

There are also Application written by other companies that because of the
way they were writting depend on Netbios Naming. We had one that way,...and
we have one now that is "questionable",...so I keep WINS. So it isn't
always MS products you have to look at.


--
Phillip Windell

The views expressed, are my own and not those of my employer, or Microsoft,
or anyone else associated with me, including my cats.
-----------------------------------------------------

"Ace Fekay [MCT]" <> wrote in message
news:OgE$...
> "Corey Arndt" <> wrote in message
> news:...
>> Thank you all for your responses. Nothing sounds like a definate yes or
>> no. I think I will attempt a few tests to see what happens. Thank you
>> again
>>
>> "Corey Arndt" <> wrote in message
>> news:97E3E9E0-6712-4868-8B83-...
>>>I was wondering if most networks need to install and use WINS. Currently
>>>all of our PCs are Windows 2000 or newer. Our network is Windows 2003
>>>R2. We use Exchange 2003, Oracle, and Citrix.
>>>
>>> Any thoughts?
>>
>
>
> You are welcome. Let us know of your results.
>
> Ace
>

The only way to find out if you really need WINS is to turn it off and
see what stops working. It usually isn't something that you had anticipated.

"Phillip Windell" <> wrote in message
news:...
> "Ace Fekay [MCT]" <> wrote in message
> news:...
>> "Phillip Windell" <> wrote in message FWIW, here
>> are my notes on it, albeit Exchange 2003 requiring it, but a pure
>> Exchange 2007 org not requiring it. I have one customer with two routed
>> sites that do not use WINS and browsing works fine. All clients are XP
>> and newer, all servers are 2003 and newer. NetBIOS traffic is blocked on
>> the routers (default).
>>
>> ---
>> Browser service without WINS across subnets
>>
>> It appears to say that if all machines are Windows 2000 and newer,
>> (nothing older), AD provides NetBIOS resolution for all clients. But it
>> doesn't say how it goes about doing that. It goes on saying that the
>> backup browsers and master browsers for each segment over a WAN
>> communicate to the PDC, which is the browse master for a domain, over UDP
>> 138, means that AD has a role in this, but is not specific. My feeling is
>> AD is using DirectSMB over 445, but not sure. I cannot find anything on
>> the mechanism. I'm one to want to know and learn of the background
>> functions of anything. Oh well...
>>
>> Description of the Microsoft Computer Browser Service
>> http://support.microsoft.com/kb/188001
>
> There are also Application written by other companies that because of the
> way they were writting depend on Netbios Naming. We had one that
> way,...and we have one now that is "questionable",...so I keep WINS. So
> it isn't always MS products you have to look at.
>
>
> --
> Phillip Windell

I know what you mean. :-)