Windows Internet Naming Service
The Windows Internet Naming Service or Windows Internet Name Service , WINS for short , is an implementation of the NetBIOS over TCP / IP network protocol by Microsoft . Contrary to what the name suggests, WINS is not used on the Internet , but in local area networks .
Like DNS , WINS is used for central name resolution . When a device goes online, it automatically registers its name and IP address with the WINS server. If the IP address or the name of the device changes, no manual intervention is necessary, as is the case with Lmhosts or hosts files.
In contrast to DNS, WINS cannot map hierarchies . WINS also has a problem with deleting obsolete mappings. It is difficult to synchronize several WINS servers. Microsoft recommends that you do without WINS servers and only use DNS for name resolution, unless this is necessary due to the use of older operating systems or programs.
In June 2017, a denial-of-service vulnerability was found in the WINS implementation of current Windows versions that could cause the WINS server to crash. Since WINS has long been considered obsolete by Microsoft, this loophole will no longer be fixed. Microsoft has been recommending switching the internal name solution in the network to DNS for some time .
An abbreviation that is also used outside of the Windows world is NBNS - for NetBIOS Name Service .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Overview of Windows Internet Name Service (WINS). In: msdn.microsoft.com. Retrieved December 22, 2016 .
- ↑ Jan Mahn: No patch for denial-of-service hole in Windows Server. In: Heise online . Heise Verlag , June 16, 2017, accessed on June 18, 2017 .
- ↑ http://wiki.wireshark.org/NetBIOS/NBNS