KnowledgeBase Archive

An Archive of Early Microsoft KnowledgeBase Articles

View on GitHub

Q164176: Interoperability of WINS and Microsoft DNS

Article: Q164176
Product(s): Microsoft Windows NT
Version(s): WinNT:4.0
Operating System(s): 
Keyword(s): kbnetwork kbusage
Last Modified: 09-AUG-2001

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The information in this article applies to:

- Microsoft Windows NT Server version 4.0 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY
=======

The Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 Domain Name System (DNS) Server component has the
ability to interact with the Windows Internet Name Service (WINS). This article
outlines these features.

MORE INFORMATION
================

To allow for interoperability between DNS and WINS, a new resource record was
defined as part of the Windows NT DNS implementation. This record is called a
WINS lookup record, and can only be a part of the zone root domain. Any queries
that cannot be resolved by the static entries in the DNS zone file will be
forwarded to the WINS server (or servers), defined by the WINS lookup record.

There is also a WINS-R or WINS reverse lookup entry that can be added to the
IN-ADDR.ARPA file. However, this instructs the DNS server to perform a NetBIOS
node adapter status lookup, or NS Query, because WINS does not have a reverse
lookup capability. For details of how this is implemented, please see the
following Microsoft Knowledge Base article:

  ARTICLE-ID: Q154553
  TITLE : Windows NT 4.0 DNS WINS Reverse Lookups Do Not Use WINS"

Because the WINS lookup resource record is a proprietary feature, you may want to
prevent it from being propagated in a zone transfer. If this is the case, add
the LOCAL flag to the entry in the zone file, or select the Settings only affect
local server checkbox on the WINS lookup property sheet for the zone's
properties. When transferring files from a Windows NT Primary DNS Server to a
BIND Secondary, the WINS and WINS-R records may cause the zone transfer to fail.
The BIND server can report an error 65281. When you look at the offending
record, it is the WINS related record.

Additional query words: BIND unix 65281
======================================================================
Keywords          : kbnetwork kbusage 
Technology        : kbWinNTsearch kbWinNT400search kbWinNTSsearch kbWinNTS400search kbWinNTS400
Version           : WinNT:4.0
Issue type        : kbinfo

=============================================================================

THE INFORMATION PROVIDED IN THE MICROSOFT KNOWLEDGE BASE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. MICROSOFT DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. IN NO EVENT SHALL MICROSOFT CORPORATION OR ITS SUPPLIERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER INCLUDING DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, LOSS OF BUSINESS PROFITS OR SPECIAL DAMAGES, EVEN IF MICROSOFT CORPORATION OR ITS SUPPLIERS HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF LIABILITY FOR CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES SO THE FOREGOING LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY.

Copyright Microsoft Corporation 1986-2002.