Migrating the WINS Service


You might decide to move your WINS service to a different computer instead of upgrading in place. If so, you can migrate WINS from an existing Windows NT 4.0 “based computer by manually copying the WINS database from the existing WINS server to the new WINS server.

Important  

Before you begin the migration, create a backup of your working configuration and test the migration procedures in a lab environment.

Complete the following steps to migrate WINS to a new computer:

  • Install and configure the WINS service on the new computer.

  • Convert the WINS database.

  • Access additional files for conversion, if necessary.

To install and configure the WINS service on Windows Server 2003

You can install WINS either during or after installing Windows Server 2003. You can use the Manage Your Server Wizard to install the WINS service on your new Windows Server 2003-based computer, or you can use the following procedure to install WINS:

  1. Open the Windows Components Wizard. To open the Windows Components Wizard, click Start , click Control Panel , double-click Add or Remove Programs , and then click Add/Remove Windows Components .

  2. Under Components , scroll to and click Networking Services .

  3. Click Details .

  4. Under Subcomponents of Networking Services , click Windows Internet Name Service (WINS) , click OK , and then click Next .

    If prompted, type the full path of the Windows Server 2003 distribution files, and then click Continue .

  5. Ensure that NetBIOS is enabled. You can do this by viewing WINS tab of the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) properties of your network adapter.

    To view the TCP/IP properties:

    1. Click Start , click Control Panel , click Network Connections , and then click your network connection.

    2. In the connection Status dialog box, click Properties .

    3. In the connection Properties dialog box, click Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), and then click Properties .

    4. Click Advanced .

    5. Click the WINS tab.

    On the WINS tab, you can configure your NetBIOS settings. Figure 3.1 shows the WINS tab in the Advanced TCP/IP Settings dialog box.


    Figure 3.1: The WINS Tab in the Advanced TCP/IP Settings Dialog Box

If you have more than one WINS server, you can maintain continuity of service by moving the servers one at a time, as long as the servers have recently replicated with each other. If you have only one WINS server, convert the database during non-peak hours to mitigate WINS downtime.

After you have installed and configured the new WINS server, manually convert the database using the following procedure:

To convert the WINS database

  1. At the command prompt, type net stop wins on both the existing and new servers.

  2. Copy the contents of the systemroot \System32\Wins folder from the existing server to the new Windows Server 2003 “based server.

    Note  

    This is the default location of the WINS database, if the database is in a different location, you should copy it from that location. The path of the WINS folder on the new server must be identical to the path of the WINS folder on the old server.

  3. At the command prompt, type net start wins on the new Windows Server 2003-based server.

    Note  

    This process can take 30 minutes or more to complete depending on the size of the database. Do not stop the process until it is finished. It is normal for Jetconv.exe to require heavy CPU usage during the conversion.

During the conversion process, you might be prompted for additional files from the Windows Server 2003 operating system CD.

To access additional WINS files that might be required for conversion

  1. Copy the Edb500.dl_ file from the I386 folder on the CD to the systemroot \System32 folder on the server.

  2. At the command prompt, type expand edb500.dl_ edb500.dll to expand the Edb500.dl_ file on the server.

  3. At the command prompt, type net start wins to finish the conversion process.

    Figure 3.2 shows an example of using the Expand utility to extract additional files.

    click to expand
    Figure 3.2: Extracting Additional Files

  4. Verify that the WINS database is shown in the WINS snap-in on the server.

  5. Once the database has been successfully migrated to the new server, test the new server before taking the old server offline.

    Important  

    Ensure that you have migrated all the necessary services from the old server before taking it offline. For example, if WINS is on the same server as DHCP, export the DHCP database and save it in a location that can be reached by the new DHCP server before taking the old server offline.

  6. Disconnect the old WINS server from your network.

  7. Assign the name and IP address of the old WINS server to the new WINS server. By using the IP address of the old WINS server, you will not need to change the WINS setting on any other computers that are pointing to the WINS server.

    If you cannot change the IP address of the new WINS server, and all of your clients are using DHCP, you can instead change DHCP option 44 on your DHCP server to the IP address of the new WINS server. If you choose this option, make the new WINS server the first WINS server in DHCP option 44 and use the old WINS server, if it is still online, as a secondary WINS server until all clients have renewed their DHCP lease and received the new settings. For more information about how to assign options, see Assigning options in Help and Support Center for Windows Server 2003.




The Microsoft Windows Server Team Migrating from Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0 to Windows Server 2003
Migrating from Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0 to Windows Server 2003
ISBN: 0735619409
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2004
Pages: 96

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