Multihomed WINS Servers Send Name Query Responses (152705)
The information in this article applies to:
- Microsoft Windows NT Server 3.51 SP4
This article was previously published under Q152705 SYMPTOMS
WINS clients connect to non-local interfaces on multihomed servers.
Unexpected WINS name resolution fails with multihomed WINS servers when IP
routers fail.
CAUSE
Physically multihomed WINS servers are supported under Windows NT 3.51
service pack 4, which allows the WINS server to bind to each instance of
NetBT (the first IP address on each network interface card (NIC)).
Although the WINS server will accept name registrations and queries on each
of these IP addresses, it will respond using the first NIC bound to NetBT.
This NIC is the interface with the lowest binding number in the Installed
Adapter Cards list in the Control Panel Network application.
If a successful name query response is sent from an IP address that the
client does not recognize as a WINS server (that is, it is not configured
as the client's primary or secondary WINS server), it will only use the
first address in the response list rather than passing all the record
entries received through a ChooseBestIPAddress routine. The
ChooseBestIPAddress routine selects the best target IP address based on the
following criteria:
- An address on the same subnet as the calling instance of NetBT
- An address on the same subnet as any NIC in the local machine
- An address chosen at random from the list
Although the target system may have a connection on the client's local
subnet, the client may connect to an address in another subnet, depending
on the order in which the server registered its IP addresses with WINS. WORKAROUND
To allow the client to recognize a WINS name query response when dual-homed
WINS servers are deployed, set WINS client's primary and secondary WINS
server addresses to the first and second IP addresses of the WINS server.
This workaround does not address the operational issues that arise if the
network path from the client to the WINS server's primary interface fails.
STATUS
Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Windows NT version 3.51
Service Pack 4. This problem was corrected in the latest Windows NT 3.51
U.S. Service Pack. For information on obtaining the Service Pack, query on
the following word in the Microsoft Knowledge Base (without the spaces):
| Modification Type: | Major | Last Reviewed: | 10/3/2003 |
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| Keywords: | kbnetwork KB152705 |
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