TCP IP STEP 6

With the release of Windows NT 4.0, Microsoft included its own DNS server, which is designed to interoperate with the WINS server. Microsoft’s DNS server includes a new DNS record type, the WINS record. This record, when defined, tells a DNS server to query the WINS server for host IP address information. In effect, this feature lets the DNS server look up the IP address of a host name that may not be in the DNS tables.

One real advantage to this setup becomes apparent when you use Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) to dynamically assign IP addresses to machines on your network. You may recall that DNS requires static IP addresses to be defined for each host and that DNS has no way of knowing when that address changes. With WINS at its side, a Microsoft DNS server can automatically keep up with the ever-changing IP addresses by simply relying on WINS to track them automatically. Then, when DNS needs to know an IP address, it can ask the WINS server.

You can certainly use WINS and DNS on your network, or you could use one without the other. Your choice should be based on whether your network is connected to the Internet and whether you use DHCP. If you use DHCP and are connected to the Internet, you’re probably going to find that things work best with both WINS and DNS installed.