Moving the WINS Database

The Windows Internet Name Service (WINS) is a legacy standard for mapping Windows computer names (called “NETBIOS names”) to numerical Internet addresses. A WINS server contains a database of all of the NETBIOS names for a local network.

The NETBIOS name is typically the same as the DNS name, minus the domain qualifier. For example, a computer with the DNS name of busybox.acme.com will typically have a NETBIOS name of BUSYBOX.

WINS is a legacy standard that allows older computers running Windows NT and Windows 9x to locate other computers, including domain controllers.

A WINS server is not necessary if all the computers on your network are running Windows 2000 or later.

How to Move the WINS Database