Replicating WINS servers on Linux with Samba4Wins
Winning Edge
© James Thew, Fotolia.com
Samba4Wins lets you set up a WINS server for NetBIOS name resolution in Linux.
Although in recent years Microsoft has attempted to place more emphasis on DNS, the reality is, if you work on a network with Windows systems, it is almost impossible to escape the NetBIOS protocol system.
NetBIOS helps clients locate resources and find login servers. To do this, it normally broadcasts to UDP port 137. Besides flooding the network with broadcast traffic, this approach doesn't work on routed networks. Routers do not forward broadcasts, so the request stays in the network segment where it started.
The Windows implementation of the NetBIOS name server, WINS (Windows Internet Name Service), resolved the issue by dynamically maintaining a database of NetBIOS names. Clients don't need to broadcast to reserve and resolve names; instead, they send UDP packets to the WINS server (Figure 1). In all versions of Windows, the administrator needs to set the WINS server IP address in the advanced section of the Wins tab below the TCP/IP protocol property settings. Administrators with Samba define the WINS server address by setting the wins server = IP address parameter in the [global] section of smb.conf. Routers will forward targeted UDP packets to the WINS server, and the presence of it reduces broadcast traffic.
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
US / Canada
UK / Australia
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Xubuntu Site Possibly Hacked
It appears that the Xubuntu site was hacked and briefly served up a malicious ZIP file from its download page.
-
LMDE 7 Now Available
Linux Mint Debian Edition, version 7, has been officially released and is based on upstream Debian.
-
Linux Kernel 6.16 Reaches EOL
Linux kernel 6.16 has reached its end of life, which means you'll need to upgrade to the next stable release, Linux kernel 6.17.
-
Amazon Ditches Android for a Linux-Based OS
Amazon has migrated from Android to the Linux-based Vega OS for its Fire TV.
-
Cairo Dock 3.6 Now Available for More Compositors
If you're a fan of third-party desktop docks, then the latest release of Cairo Dock with Wayland support is for you.
-
System76 Unleashes Pop!_OS 24.04 Beta
System76's first beta of Pop!_OS 24.04 is an impressive feat.
-
Linux Kernel 6.17 is Available
Linus Torvalds has announced that the latest kernel has been released with plenty of core improvements and even more hardware support.
-
Kali Linux 2025.3 Released with New Hacking Tools
If you're a Kali Linux fan, you'll be glad to know that the third release of this famous pen-testing distribution is now available with updates for key components.
-
Zorin OS 18 Beta Available for Testing
The latest release from the team behind Zorin OS is ready for public testing, and it includes plenty of improvements to make it more powerful, user-friendly, and productive.
-
Fedora Linux 43 Beta Now Available for Testing
Fedora Linux 43 Beta ships with Gnome 49 and KDE Plasma 6.4 (and other goodies).