Which protocol is best?

[catseye]

For doing file serve and print serve on Win2K server?

NetBios
NetBeui
TCP/IP
IPX/SPX

Security isn't much of an issue, we have other secure servers for outside connection. I know IPX/SPX is probably out, but we do use it for Novell.

 

[Spiff]

1. Will this system need to communicate outside the local network?
2. If so, will this include internet?
3. What protocol(s) are the other systems running? Your server will need to match at least one protocol, preferably the primary protocol used by the rest of the systems on the network.

 

[catseye]

The system is local only. A linux box handles all http and email services. A novell server currently does lite file serving and all print serving, but I would like to decommision it and move everything over to the newer Dell 2400 win2k server. Therefore, all clients run IPX/SPX, TCP/IP, and I believe NetBios. The win2k server is not currently running TCP/IP or IPX/SPX, so it cannot see either the Novell or the linux box. I hope to speed up access to it the win2k server as it is still underperforming. One other thing I thought was kinda funny, the win2k runs WINS but not TCP/IP or DHCP. I thought WINS and TCP/IP went together.

 

[CTR]

I believe WINS uses only NetBIOS for the computer names. If WINS traffic needs to be routed, then TCP/IP is used to encapsulate the NetBIOS.

 

[ktwebb]

You will need a IPX, TCP/IP, or NetBEUI to use the NetBIOS service. NetBIOS does not provide a frame of data format for transmission. I have seen it listed as a protocol, but it is more of a service than a protocol.

P.S. Use IP.

 

[nexus9]

Use TCP/IP. Unless your ISP has given you a block of addresses, use a private ip address range:
10.0.0.0 - 10.255.255.255
172.16.0.0 - 172.31.255.255
192.168.0.0 - 192.168.255.255

Even if these machines are not currently connected to the internet, it'll save you a lot of headaches...

-Nexus9

 

[Spiff]

ktwebb is correct when referring to NetBios. NetBios/NetBeui, although referred to as a protocol, is really more an interface for applications to communicate.

Since Novell is going away, I would install TCP/IP on the server, since that is likely the primary protocol everyone else is using. I would remove NetBeui and IPX from all my workstations... provdided that nothing was requiring their use. Since Novell is going away, there is no practical reason to keep multiple protocols on any system. Multipl protocols only has the potential to slow down communicatiion responsiveness.

An internal IP address for the W2k box may not be practical. Setting up an internal address for that system alone, would require a gateway be setup between it and the rest of the networked systems need to access this system. Very impractical. Since you already have an establihed TCP/IP network, the W2k system can just be added to that.

since TCP/IP is not running on the WINS server... look in the WINS database and see if it is in fact registering names. Since you say this system cannot communicate with anyone else, I am doubtful that WINS is accomplishing anything.

Once you have this system runnning TCP/IP... it will serve a valuable role as a WINS server.