Windows® Internet Naming Service (WINS) allows clients to map system names to their actual TCP/IP addresses.
Windows NT® systems and Linux® Samba servers can provide WINS, which allows clients to map system names to their actual TCP/IP addresses. WINS is a dynamic naming service that resolves NetBIOS computer names to IP addresses. Although the i5/OS® operating system cannot act as a WINS server, it can act as a WINS proxy. This enables non-WINS clients to obtain name resolution from WINS. A WINS proxy receives broadcasted name requests from non-WINS clients and resolves them by directing queries to a WINS server.
Using WINS proxy is not a recommended method of resolving computer names to IP addresses.
You can specify an address for a network WINS server on the iSeries™ NetServer™ WINS configuration - Next start dialog box in iSeries Navigator. Then you can configure clients to connect to iSeries NetServer by using the WINS server.
After you configure your PC clients and iSeries NetServer with WINS addresses, you do not need to perform any additional network configuration. PC clients can now locate and connect to iSeries NetServer by using WINS.
In a complex TCP/IP network, where the iSeries NetServer is configured as a logon server, a WINS solution for address resolution is better than DNS because logon clients in separate subnets need to be able to resolve special NetBIOS service names in addition to the configured iSeries NetServer name.