Overview of the Other Network Services

Overview of the "Other" Network Services

Quite often, some of the more important components of a network are overlooked because they consistently do their job and keep a low profile. It's only when a problem erupts with one of these components that their true value arises and attention is paid to them. The Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) and the Windows Internet Naming Service (WINS) are two such services, faithfully performing their functions day in and day out, while often delegated to a beat-up old server under someone's desk.

Although not glamorous, the functionality in DHCP and WINS is critical in a network environment, and a good deal of thought should be put into their design, administration, and functional requirements. This chapter explores these oft-forgotten services and provides best practice design and configuration information for utilizing them.

In addition to information on DHCP and WINS, this chapter explores the functionality of global catalog domain controller servers in Windows Server 2003, specifically focusing on server placement issues. Finally, this chapter explores step by step specific installation requirements for these services and best practice migration scenarios.