Copyright: Winscl Help vers. © copyright Microsoft Corporation 1996-1997
Citation: Winscl Help vers. © copyright Microsoft Corporation 1996-1997


Winscl Overview

Winscl is a command-line administrative tool for managing the Windows Internet Name Service (WINS). It can monitor WINS activities and examine WINS databases. It can also send commands to WINS to initiate an activity such as replication, scavenging, registering or querying a record, or performing backup or restore operations. The Windows NT 4.0 version adds a command to perform consistency checking on WINS databases.

Unlike WINS Manager, Winscl cannot be used to configure WINS servers.

Notes

 	If you attempt to delete a nonexistent or incorrect name (for example, with lowercase letters instead of uppercase), Winscl returns a status of SUCCESS even though the database was not modified because the parameter was incorrect. This could be misleading, as it might appear that the database has been correctly updated when in fact it has not.

 	Also, Winscl is potentially a high-overhead operation and demands a considerable amount of network-bandwidth, as it results in full replication of the entire database. It is best run when network activity is low.

For questions or problems with Winscl, please contact:

rkinput@microsoft.com.


Notes on Using Winscl

When using Winscl, consider the following points.

Addresses of WINS should be given in dotted decimal notation

A version number is 64 bits long. When you are prompted for the version number, enter it in decimal with the high word first followed by the low word. The two words should be separated by a space. For example, 0 9567.

Many commands such as PULLT, PUSHT, SI, PRR, etc. are run in the background. A return status of SUCCESS indicates that the command has been queued to WINS for execution. It does not mean that WINS has successfully run the command.

Winscl is case sensitive. So, for example, BOB is different from bob or Bob (when used as input to RN, QN, DN, etc.)

The scope, if given, should be in domain name form, as explained in RFC 883. For example, netbios.com.

Whenever a pull (or a push) replication is done, the local WINS server will send a request for it to the remote WINS server only if the remote WINS server is either listed in the Registry under the Wins\Parameters\Pull (or Push) subkey or if the RplOnlyWCnfPnrs value entry in the Wins\Parameters subkey is either nonexistent or set to 0. Likewise, the remote WINS server will accept the request only if the WINS server making the request is either listed under the Wins\Parameters\Push (or Pull) subkey or if the RplOnlyWCnfPnrs value entry in the Wins\Parameters subkey is either nonexistent or is set to 0. The two WINS servers look up the values of these above subkeys and value entries in their local Registries.


Winscl Command Options

You can use the following options with Winscl:

Option	For more information click
RN	Register Name
QN -	Query Name
DN	Delete Name
GV	Get Version Counter Value
GM	Get Mappings
GMO	Get Mappings (Windows NT 3.5 WINS)
GST	Get Statistics
GSTO	Get Statistics (Windows NT 3.5 WINS)
PUSHT	Push Trigger
PULLT	Pull Trigger
SI	Statically Initialize WINS
CC -	Consistency Checking
SC	Scavenge Records
DRR	Delete All or a Range of Records
PRR	Pull All or a Range of Records
GRBN	Get Records by Name
GRBV	Get Records by Version Number
BK	Back Up WINS Database.
RSO	Restore WINS Database prior to Windows NT 4.0
RS	Restore WINS Database
RC	Reset WINS Counters
CR	Count Records in Database
SDB	Search Database
GD	Get Domain Names
DW	Delete WINS
CW	Connect to WINS
MENU	Show Menu
NOMENU	No Menu
EX	Exit Tool


Register Name

This option allows you to register unique/multihomed/normal group/Internet group names.


Query Name

This option allows you to query any name in the WINS database.


Delete Name

Deletes a name. This action permanently erases the name from the WINS database.


Get Version Counter Value

This option gets the current value of the version counter used to stamp records with version numbers.


Get Mappings

This option gets the configuration intervals being used by WINS. These intervals are in seconds. It also retrieves the priority class and the number of query threads in WINS. The owner ID to address to version number mappings used by the replicator to determine how up-to-date the WINS database is relative to other WINS servers is also retrieved. This command works only with WINS used with Windows NT 3.51.

Note	Owner ID is a number corresponding to a WINS address. This number is stored with a record in the WINS database, and identifies the owner of the record.


Get Mappings (Windows NT 3.5 WINS)

This option is the same as Get Mappings  except that this version applies only to WINS used with Windows NT 3.5.


Get Statistics

This option allows you to get the various time-stamps and statistics maintained by WINS. This option applies only to WINS used with Windows NT 3.51.


Get Statistics (Windows NT 3.5 WINS)

This option is the same as Get Statistics except that this option applies only to WINS used with Windows NT 3.5.


Push Trigger

This option allows you to instruct the connected WINS server to send a push trigger to another WINS server. The local WINS server sends a push trigger to the remote WINS server only if one of the following conditions is true:

The remote WINS server is listed under the Wins\Parameters\Push subkey in the Registry.

The RplOnlyWCnfPnrs value entry in the Wins\Parameters subkey in the Registry is not present or has a value of 0.

Likewise, the remote WINS accepts this trigger only if the local WINS satisfies one of the following conditions:

It is listed under the Wins\Parameters\Pull subkey in its Registry.

The RplOnlyWCnfPnrs value in the Wins\Parameters subkey in its Registry is not present or has a value of 0.

Once the trigger is sent and accepted, the remote WINS server, depending on whether or not its database is out of sync with the database of the connected WINS server, may or may not pull records from the local WINS server.


Pull Trigger

This option allows you to instruct the connected WINS server to send a pull trigger to another WINS server. The local WINS server sends a pull trigger to the remote WINS server only if its database is out of sync with the database of the remote WINS server, and if (and only if) one of the following conditions is true:

The remote WINS server is listed in the Registry under the Wins\Parameters\Pull subkey.

The RplOnlyWCnfPnrs Registry value entry in the Wins\Parameters subkey is either not present or has a value of 0.

Likewise, the remote WINS server accepts this trigger only if one of the following conditions is true:

The local WINS server is listed under the Wins\Parameters\Push subkey in its Registry.

The RplOnlyWCnfPnrs value entry in the Wins\Parameters subkey in its Registry is either not present or has a value of 0.


Statically Initialize WINS

This option allows you to statically initialize WINS from a file which has records in the format used in an LMHOSTS file.


Consistency Checking

This option allows you to initiate consistency checking on WINS. Consistency checking results in a WINS server communicating with other WINS servers to check the consistency of its database.

WARNING  This operation results in high overhead on the WINS server and can also use up the entire network bandwidth (if a full replication is done). If you have a large database, you should run this command at a time when network traffic is minimal.


Scavenge Records

This option is used to instruct WINS to scavenge records. This means that records that are old enough are released, and appropriate records are made extinct. Extinct records that need to be deleted are deleted, and replica records that need to be verified are verified.


Delete All or a Range of Records

This option is used to delete records by specifying a range of version numbers. You can also delete all records in a WINS database. Only the records owned by the selected WINS server  are deleted. Other information about the WINS service, such as the highest version number pulled, is not deleted.


Pull All or a Range of Records

This option is used to pull a range of records from remote WINS. The range is a range of version numbers. If the range being pulled overlaps records of the remote WINS that already exist in the WINS database, the pre-existing records are deleted before the new ones are pulled.

This command is used to pull records that were never replicated and have no chance of being replicated unless their version number becomes greater than the highest value the local WINS has allocated for remote WINS. Replication only takes place after the appropriate Registry value has been checked.

See also Pull Trigger


Get Records by Name

This option retrieves one or more records starting with a string. The names of records are alphabetically sorted in the WINS database.

Note	Names with 0x1B in the 16th byte are an exception. They are stored with the 1st and 16th byte transposed.

You can choose to search the database from the beginning or from the end. If, for example, you want to retrieve 100 names starting with the letter Z, you can specify that WINS should search from the end of the database. This will cause less overhead on WINS.


Get Records by Version Number

This option retrieves records from the local WINS database in the specified range of version numbers.


Back Up WINS Database

This option performs a backup of the WINS database to a directory on the same WINS computer.


Restore WINS Database prior to Windows NT 4.0

This option restores the WINS database from the directory to which it was backed up.

Note	The WINS database is created by WINS prior to Windows NT 4.0. Also, make sure that WINS is not running when you run this command.


Restore WINS Database

This option restores the WINS database from the directory to which it was backed up.

Note	The WINS database is created by WINS in Windows NT 4.0 or later. Also, make sure that WINS is not running when you run this command.


Reset WINS Counters

This option resets the WINS counters displayed via Get Statistics (or Get Statistics (Windows NT 3.5 WINS) for Windows NT 3.5 WINS) to 0.


Count Records in Database

This option counts the number of records for an owner in the WINS database. The owner is identified by the address. You can count either all or a specific range of records.

Note	This can be a high overhead operation.


Search Database

This option searches the database for a record with a particular name or address.

Note	This can be a high overhead operation.


Get Domain Names

This option allows you to get the list of domain names registered in the WINS database. These are the 1B names (0x1B in the 16th byte) registered by the PDCs (primary domain controllers) of the domains.


Delete WINS

This option deletes all the information relevant to a WINS server (identified by its address) from the database of the connected WINS server, including all records belonging to the WINS server and administrative information. When the connected WINS is specified for deletion, all of its records are deleted. Other information, such as highest version number of records in the database, is not removed.


Connect to WINS

This option allows you to connect to a remote WINS server.


Show Menu

This option displays the list of commands available.


No Menu

This option hides the list of commands. This may be desirable if you don't want to clutter the output when a script is driving Winscl.


Exit Tool

This option allows you to exit the Winscl.


WINS

The Windows Internet Name Service maps computer names to IP addresses, allowing users to communicate with other computers without having to use addresses in the form of strings of numbers.


IP address

Stands for Internet Protocol address, a unique logical address identifying each host computer, or node, on a TCP/IP network. An IP address is a 32-bit number expressed as four decimal numbers from 0 to 255, separated by periods, for example: 131.107.2.200

Each IP address has two parts: the network ID and the host ID. The network ID identifies all hosts that are on the same physical network. The host ID identifies a specific host on a network. A subnet mask is used to mask a portion of the IP address so that TCP/IP can distinguish the network ID from the host ID.


TCP/IP

Stands for Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol. A software communications protocol widely used on the Internet, originally developed by the United States Department of Defense for communication between computers.


Subnet mask

A logical value that screens out a portion of the IP address so that TCP/IP can distinguish the network ID from the host ID. The host ID identifies individual computers on the network. TCP/IP hosts use the subnet mask to determine whether a destination host is located on a local or a remote network.

A subnet mask is a 32-bit number expressed as four decimal numbers from 0 to 255, separated by periods, for example: 255.255.0.0