When working with Windows systems, it is important to know the process by which names are
associated to IP addresses. In a Unix system, this resolution is relatively straightforward and usually
involves the use of cached entries, a HOSTS file, or DNS. In a Windows environment, however,
there are a few other options available. All the options that are available are as follows:
Internal cache of recently used entries
Broadcast message to the local network
Local LMHOSTS file
Local HOSTS file
WINS server
DNS server
In addition to the local cache, the HOSTS file, and DNS are three other options: broadcast, LMHOSTS,
and WINS. The order in which these items are checked in a Windows system varies based on a
number of factors, but in general, the internal cache and broadcast message are the first items
used to try to resolve a name into an IP address.
Following this, the LMHOSTS and HOSTS files are used. Both these files are usually located in the
%SystemRoot%\System32\Drivers\Etc directory of each Windows end system. They are textbased
files that can be edited to provide static name-to-IP-address translation.
Next in the series is the Windows Internet Name Service (WINS) server, which is Microsoft’s
version of a NetBIOS name server. It dynamically updates the names of other Windows clients
that are on the network. The server can then be queried in much the same manner as a DNS
server for name-to-IP-address resolution.
The final item used by a Windows end system is a DNS server. As is the case with any station
using DNS, a Windows station sends a query to the DNS server, and the server responds with
the IP address or a notification saying it does not know the address.