Installing WINS

in Windows Server 2003
Overview
This step-by-step article describes how to install Windows Internet Name Service (WINS) on a computer running Windows Server 2003.

WINS provides name resolution function, the NetBIOS name resolution for Internet Protocol on a Windows network (IP) address. Clients on a WINS-enabled network can dynamically register, update, and delete their names in the database maintained by WINS. As an administrator, you can also provide static entries in the WINS database for computers running operating systems other than Windows, while providing redundancy by replicating the WINS database between multiple WINS servers on the network. For addresses outside your network, you can enable the WINS server to reference a statically configured LMHosts file.

The process for installing WINS consists of two steps. The first step is to configure static TCP/IP settings for the server; the second step is to install WINS.
Preparation
Before you start the installation, collect the following information:

The static IP address of the WINS server. If your server resides on a DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol)-based network, you must exclude its IP address from the DHCP scope. For additional information on how to configure a DHCP server, search for "DHCP" in Windows Help.

Subnet mask.

The IP address of the default gateway (route).

The IP address of the preferred DNS server.

The IP address of the alternate DNS server, if applicable.

How to configure static TCP/IP addressing
Remarks: The IP addresses listed in the following procedure are part of TCP/IP-specific addressing. They are used on the internal network and cannot be used on the Internet. These addresses are for illustrative purposes only. If you do not have an alternate DNS server, leave the Alternate DNS Servers box blank. If your network has only one subnet, leave the Default Gateway box blank.

To configure static TCP/IP addressing for a WINS server computer, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, point to Control Panel, point to Network Connections, and then right-click Local connection.
2. Click Properties on the shortcut menu.
3. Click "Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)" and then click Properties.
4. Click "Use the following IP address."
5. In the IP Address box, type an IP address, such as 172.16.32.11.
6. In the Subnet Mask box, type the subnet mask for your network, such as 255.255.255.0 .
7. In the Default Gateway box, type the IP address of the appropriate router, such as 172.16.32.1.
   
   NOTE: If your network has only one subnet, let the "default gateway" box remains empty.
   
   To configure the DNS settings for the WINS server, perform the following steps:
   1. Click "Use the following DNS server address".
   2. In the Preferred DNS Server box, type the IP address of the DNS server, such as 172.16.4.11.
   3. If you have an alternate DNS server, type the IP address of the alternate DNS server in the Alternate DNS server box, such as 172.16.8.11 .
      
      NOTE: If you do not have an alternate DNS server, and let the "alternate DNS server" box remains empty.
   4. Click Advanced, click the WINS tab, and then click Add.
   5. Type the same IP address assigned to the server. For example, in this example, type 172.16.32.11. Click Add.
   6. Close the TCP/IP WINS Server dialog box and click OK twice.
      
      How to install WINS
      Remarks: To complete the following process, please log in as a local administrator.
      1. Click Start , point to Control Panel, click Add/Remove Programs, and then click Add/Remove Windows Components.
      2. After the Windows Components Wizard starts, click Network Services (rather than click to select the check box), and then click Details.
      3. In the Network Services dialog box, click to select the Windows Internet Name Service (WINS) check box, and then click OK.
      4. Click Next and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation.
      5. Click Finish to close the Add/Remove Programs dialog and close Control Panel.
         
         Note: To ensure availability, you can add more WINS servers to your network and configure them as replication partners. For additional information on how to set up a replication partner, search for "WINS Replication" in Windows Help.