Configuring WINS Replication

Consider the following scenario: Two subnets exist on a physical network, each with its own WINS server. Clients on each subnet register their names with their local WINS server. When a host on subnet A attempts to communicate with a host on subnet B, it will be unable to resolve the name to an IP address. This is because the local WINS server will not have an entry in its database for the host on subnet B.

In a WINS environment, replication must be configured between WINS servers to facilitate network communication between hosts on different subnets. WINS servers can be configured as push partners, pull partners, or both, depending on how you want replication to occur. Push partners notify other WINS servers when changes are made to their database; pull partners request database changes from partner WINS servers. To accomplish one-way replication, one of these partnerships (either a push or pull) must be configured.

When considering whether to configure push or pull partners, keep the following points in mind:

• If WINS servers are connected by slow links, configure a pull partner so replication can be scheduled.

• If WINS servers are connected by fast links, configure a push partner so replication can occur when changes are made to the database.

WINS servers can be configured for replication using the WINS management console. To configure replication, follow these steps:

1. Within the WINS management console, right-click Replication Partners and select New Replication Partner.

2. Enter the name or IP address of the WINS server you want to add as a replication partner. Click OK.

3. Right-click the WINS server that was added as a replication partner and click Properties.

4. From the Advanced tab within the WINS server's properties window, use the drop-down list to select the replication partner type. Click OK.

If you do not want to manually set up WINS replication partners, you can configure WINS servers to automatically find one another and configure themselves for replication. They do so by multicasting to the IP address of 224.0.1.24. When WINS servers locate each other, they automatically configure themselves as push/pull replication partners. This automatic discovery option can be enabled by right-clicking Replication Partners within the WINS management console and clicking Properties. From the Replication Partners Properties window, select the Advanced tab and choose the Enable automatic partner configuration option (see Figure 6.8) .

Figure 6.8. Enabling automatic partner configuration.