Domain Controller register with 2 WINS servers?

[ChrisBeach]

Morning all!

I was wondering if it is possible to get a Domain Controller (running samba) to register with 2 WINS servers (samba as well)?
I know in the smb.conf file of samba you can set multiple WINS servers for the DC, but it will only use the second one if the first one fails.

Here is my situation:

I have 2 subnets: stc,por

One wins server in stc right now.
Domain Controller in por.

I'm making a new wins server in stc as I'm getting rid of the old one (acted as a central dns/wins server, must keep online for x amount of days so I cannot steal the ip address). Now I'm doing a cutover of servers on por but as soon as I put the Domain Controller on the new WINS server the other servers on por wont be able to use it as they will be pointing to the old WINS server which wont have any records of a DC.

I've tried setting static WINS entries on my (soon to be former) wins server but it just overwrites them. If I could get static entries working then both wins servers could be referencing the DC in por.

Any way the simplest solution I can think of is having my DC register with both WINS servers, but not sure if that is possible.

Any help is greatly appreciated!

 

[ShackDaddy]

I don't think you can have the server registering at both places. You might have your server stop registering with WINS at all and then create static entries for the server in both WINS databases. That way they wouldn't be overwritten in either database, and your clients hitting either server would have no trouble finding the server.

Just be careful to copy all the extant addresses down before you unregister so they can all be manually recreated, including the ones that reference that server in the entry named after your domain.

ShackDaddy

 

[ChrisBeach]

I like this solution, BUT...

I've tried different methods of making sure the entry doesen't get overwritten (like making the file read only) but it would seem samba just deletes and recreates the file, or at least changes permissions everytime it writes to it. I have a feeling if I tell my DC not to register it will just disappear out of the wins.dat file (wins database) completely.

Thanks for the suggestion though, it's a really good idea that I didn't think of.

 

[ShackDaddy]

I'm intending that the DC disappear from the wins.dat file completely. And then get recreated with static entries. You'd have to edit/create several entries. I've done this on Windows WINS, but haven't tried it on SAMBA.

Is it ANY static entry you make that gets overwritten, or just ones related to the server? I assumed it was the latter, but I'd like to know for sure.

What I'm saying is that if it IS the server (lets call it HAL) registering that causes HAL-related entries to get overwritten, then manually creating the entries instead of letting the HAL register is the best way to keep HAL-related entries from being removed. I'm trying to encourage you to try and create all the DC-related records manually, as I've done in the past. You need to document what's currently in the database related to HAL and entries related to whatever your domain name is, since both of those will probably disappear if your server stops registering.

ShackDaddy

 

[ChrisBeach]

I set static entries in the WINS database after telling HAL not to register with it at all, but these entries are just deleted from the database as soon as HAL quits trying to register with that WINS server.

I think samba just deletes the entries as soon as it performs a check for the DC, regardless of if it is static or not.

 

[ShackDaddy]

Rats. Well, it was worth a try.

 

[ChrisBeach]

Thanks any way!

Just out of curiousity what do you do for work? I'm always curious what kind of workers use these forums.. Noone has ever told me what they do for a living yet.

 

[ShackDaddy]

I'm a free-lance technical consultant working mainly in so-california. I worked at a fortune-500 company for 8 years and went independent a year or so ago. I work mainly for small businesses, but do advising now and then for large companies on Windows architecture issues. I enjoy being independent and work closely with some other independent consultants.

I'm in Oregon on a sort of vacation this month so I thought it would be a good time to get caught up here at TT.

ShackDaddy

 

[ChrisBeach]

Thats pretty interesting. Being independant must feel pretty great, a lot of freedom, but then again there is more risk I suppose.

Thanks for answering! And again, thanks for the help!