Buffer limit on server listings.

[Christopher R. Hertel]

Rakesh Patel wrote:
> 
> Pardon my simple questsions on this topic - with a full Windows 2003
> domain level/Windows 2003 forest level infrastructure, is browsing
> accomplished via DNS service location records, or is some level of
> RPC still required? Does the entire browse master election process become
> eliminated if NetBIOS over TCP/IP is disabled and only DNS is utilized?

On that last question... Yes.  The older Browse Service is entirely based on
NetBIOS.

On the other questions...  I *think* that there are multiple mechanisms, but
that LDAP is one of the tools used.  Others on this list will know better. 
I have not played with browsing in a W2K-AD environment.  Yet.

> I may be confusing a few protocols and technologies here since
> I have not had much experience with WINS and Browse master procotols
> since I have primarily been involved with the UNIX side of things and
> only have debugged WINS on the UNIX side from early Samba implementations.
> I do understand that WINS just addresses simplistic name resolution on a
> dynamic and static basis like DNS and WINS servers can co-ordinate name
> resolution between segments unlike broadcasts.

Full documentation is in RFC1001/1002,
and also here:  http://ubiqx.org/cifs/NetBIOS.html

> I am also talking about Domain environment instead of a Workgroup
> environment, so there may be a difference there in who handles WINS as
> well as Browsing.

A Windows NT Domain (notice: I said "NT" there) *is* a workgroup.  An NT
Domain is just a workgroup with a Domain Controller.  That's really the only
difference.  The existence of a Domain Controller also implies the existance
of a Domain Master Browser, but Samba can run as a Domain Master Browser
without the need for a Domain Controller.

  http://ubiqx.org/cifs/Browsing.html

SMB network browsing has evolved and changed over the years, and there are
multiple protocols that may it work.  That's why it's so confusing.  You are
confusing a few protocols, but that's *completely natural*.

Quick guide:
  Older forms of browsing make use of Remote Administration Protocol (RAP)
  to access the lists of workgroups, servers, and shares.  Common RAP calls
  used in browsing include NetServerEnum2() and NetShareEnum().  I've only
  just learned about NetServerEnum3().

  With W/NT (NT4?), Windows started using Remote Procedure Call (RPC) to
  access the same types of information.  The most common example is the
  NetrShareEnum() call.  (Note the extra 'r' following "Net").  I've just
  been informed that there is also an RPC version of NetServerEnum2() which
  is called BrowserrServerEnum().

  With W2K, if NetBIOS is disabled the old browse service goes away and is
  replaced with something new.  I don't know the mechanism, but I suspect
  that the services are announced via DynamicDNS (as you suggested) and the
  equivalent of a Browse List is accessed using LDAP.  Others on this list
  probably have this stuff nailed down.  Hopefully, they'll comment.

Chris -)-----

-- 
"Implementing CIFS - the Common Internet FileSystem" ISBN: 013047116X
Samba Team -- http://www.samba.org/     -)-----   Christopher R. Hertel
jCIFS Team -- http://jcifs.samba.org/   -)-----   ubiqx development, uninq.
ubiqx Team -- http://www.ubiqx.org/     -)-----   crh at ubiqx.mn.org
OnLineBook -- http://ubiqx.org/cifs/    -)-----   crh at ubiqx.org