Stands for “Windows Internet Name Service.” WINS is a service that allows Windows to determine NetBIOS techniques on a TCP/IP network. It maps NetBIOS names to IP addresses, which is a more customary strategy to determine network units.
WINS is much like DNS, which is used for resolving domains. Like DNS, WINS requires a server to carry out identify resolutions and return the IP tackle to shopper techniques. However, as a substitute of resolving domains, WINS is used particularly to find NetBIOS techniques. For instance, WINS might translate the NetBIOS identify WorkComputer00 to the IP tackle 192.168.1.20. This permits different techniques on the network to entry WorkComputer00 straight by its IP tackle.
Early variations of Windows (earlier than Windows 2000) situated network units by their NetBIOS names. Therefore, Windows servers have been required to run WINS so as to entry network techniques. Windows 2000 and later can use DNS to find network techniques, which suggests WINS isn’t required on trendy Windows servers. However, many Windows techniques nonetheless run WINS for backwards compatibility with older units.
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