Note that tombstoning a record is just the first step in deleting.  If your 
replication and scavenging is working correctly and you're willing to wait, 
this process should work correctly to eventually get rid of the records.  You 
may want to check the setup of those two items.

Typically if I'm not willing to wait and I really want or need a WINS record to 
immediately and completely "go away", I do the following:

1)      Delete the record and choose the "tombstone" option.  Choose to take 
ownership of the record.
2)      Replicate the changes out to all other WINS servers.  You can use push 
or pull, but make sure to do them in the right order, depending on how you have 
your setup configured.
3)      Connect to each WINS server and view records.  Make sure the record 
shows up as tombstoned with the first server as the owner.
4)      Refresh the view on the main WINS server.  Then, go to the same records 
and delete again.  This time choose to delete from this server.
5)      Do step three while connected to every other WINS server (on each one).
6)      Replicate changes around again.  Refresh your screens and make sure 
it's gone.
7)      Rinse and repeat as needed until it's gone.

Note that it records come back again, you'll need to investigate the source as 
they are being generated by something.  Don't forget to check for old lmhosts 
files as well.

-Bonnie

-----Original Message-----
From: m b [mailto:[email protected]] 
Sent: Thursday, May 21, 2009 7:48 AM
To: NT System Admin Issues
Subject: WINS

Bleh, you know, this just won't go away.  We've been thinking for some years 
now that we'd soon be able to discard this service but we still have a few 
legacy apps that keep hanging around.  Anyway, on to my problem -

We have a global AD WAN, root domain with four child domains per continent 
we have offices in.  No operational problems.  We had a Microsoft consultant 
in here a few months ago for an AD Health Check.  Guy was very good.  One of 
the things he had us modify was the way we had WINS setup.  Went to a single 
WINS server per office.  All international WINS servers replicating to one 
WINS server at home base, all North American offices replicating to another 
WINS server at home base, and those two home base WINS servers replicating.

The problem, or really just an annoyance I suppose, is that we have some 
records that have an expiration date that is two months old.  I've spot 
checked, and most of those records are for machines that no longer exist. 
Some of those records are for machines that haven't existed for a long, long 
time.  However, there are WINS records for a couple of our international 
domain controllers that have an expiration date of 3/22/09.

This past weekend I initiated a "purge database" on every WINS server in 
North America.  It appears to have had no effect.  I also noticed that there 
were about a dozen records that were owned by an HP printer in our Bucharest 
office.  I highlighted those, chose "delete", and chose "Replicate deltion 
of the record to other servers (tombstone)".  That is followed by a message 
that says "Tombstoning replica records will cause this WINS server to take 
ownership of the record.  Do you want to continue?"  Yes...  Those records 
won't go away, nor does the WINS server I'm operating from assume ownership 
of the records.

So I'm being humbled by this service.  I remember years ago when WINS got 
all twisted up on us we'd just delete the databases & let them recreate. 
Short of that, does anyone have some ideas to offer? 


~ Finally, powerful endpoint security that ISN'T a resource hog! ~
~ <http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/Business/VIPRE-Enterprise/>  ~

~ Finally, powerful endpoint security that ISN'T a resource hog! ~
~ <http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/Business/VIPRE-Enterprise/>  ~

  • WINS m b
    • RE: WINS Miller Bonnie L .

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