We have a campus TCP/IP Network here. I want to browse between two subnets.
On subnet (subnet A) has an NT PDC, one BDC, an NT Workstation, and 35 W95 Clients.
The other subnet (subnet B), in another domain has a PDC and a W95 machine.
I have set up the LMHOSTS file to have
<ip address> <server name> #PRE #DOM:<DOMAIN NAME>
It is now possible to connect to each machine by using
\\<server name. However, I want to be able to browse each
subnet. You can put 16th char letters in NetBIOS names in the LMHOSTS file...will this enable the browsing? I know I can use WINS, but want to avoid that if possible.
The other problem we have, is that we have IPX on all the NT machines, and yet, when subnet B wants to browse subnet A, I get a small list of machines with IPX installed...excluding the PDC, which has IPX installed! Weird. The reason we really want to use IP, is that it is the only common protocol installed on all the machines.
The browse set up in subnet A is as follows
PDC is Browse Master for IP (it can see whole subnet)
BDC is Broswe Master for IPX (it can see only IPX machines..though not the PDC, I think this is due to Ethernet Frame type, which I am about to check).
A machine "Unknown" is Browse Master for some other variation of IPX (I put this is because thats what the Browman utility fron the Resource Kit reports). Does anyone know the significance of this?
I don't really like the BDC being the browse master for IPX, I would rather both tranports being mastered by the PDC. I can't find a way of telling the browse service to bind to a given protocol. Is the a way of doing this?
We are also having trouble with clients. Say a client has two protocols installed, which browse master will it talk to? The resource kit does not mention this possibility. Should it not talk to both, in order to get a full list of what a client can connet to?
I often find however, that different client utilities give different browse lists! For example, server manager shows all PCs in subnet, but only the domains in the LMHOSTS file in the domain list...On ther other hand, when you use Event Viewer, I can see about a hundered or so domains out there on the campus network! (in other words it must be talking to the IPX browser, or perhaps to both)
What is going on, I thought that BetBIOS applications use NetServerEnumAPI, is Eventviwer using a different or better API call?
In addition, some of our Windows95 machines do not have File and Print Services installed, but do have remote registry installed, but they do not appear in browse lists, my hunch is that they won't so you need a piece of paper to keep track of the PCs you can connect to anyway.
If you think you really understand browsing and what is going on I'd be happy to give 300 points to anyone that could sort out all this hassle and confusion.
If anyone wants more information I will happily send it to them, inculding screen dumps sent as MIME attachments if they want.
Regards
Hywel
