Readme for the WINS Consistency Check tool (winschk.exe)

winschk provides the following options:

0 -     To toggle the interactive switch (current value: Interactive)
1 -     To test for names (in names.txt) against WINS servers (in servers.txt)
2 -     To check version number consistencies
3 -     To monitor WINSs and detect comm. failures
4 -     To verify replication config setup

99 -    To exit this tool.

0 - Allowes the user the option of having status messages printed on the command window. All status messages are logged
into winstst.log and on the cmd window if Interactive switch is ON.

1 - To test for N names against M servers

This is a quick tool to check for consistency between various WINS servers. The utility is driven by two flat files
which can be edited using your favorite text editor.

The file "servers.txt" contains the IP address of a start WINS server from which a list
of all the replicating WINS servers is built up to query.

The file "names.txt" can contain multiple NETBIOS names (one per line) which need
to be checked.
The format of the name in this file is <name>*<16th byte>, e.g. FOOBAR*20

The file names.txt contains a list of NetBIOS names to query. Since the
utility is still fairly primitive please remember to UPCASE the names
in the file.

The utility will run the list of NetBIOS names querying each WINS server.
It will check for consistency of addresses and report any occurances of
"name not found" or mismatched IP addresses. It will also report non-responsive
WINS servers.

2 - Check version number inconsistencies

Get the owner address - version # maps (through an rpc function) from different WINSs and check the consistency of
their databases by  ensuring that a WINS always has the highest version number among the network of WINSs  for records
owned by it. Putting it another way,  in a matrix chart where each record is a mapping table retrieved from a particular
WINS  (the order of WINSs along both dimensions of the matrix being the same), each diagonal element should have the highest version. number among  all the numbers in its column

      Example:
        A     B     C            <--- list of owners
      A 100   80    79        <-- mapping table retrieved from A

      B 95    75*   65        <---mapping table retrieved from B

      C 78    45    110       <---mapping table retrieved from C

      ^
      |
      List of WINSs from where the mapping table was retrieved

      Intersection B with B indicates a problem and needs fixing.

3 - Monitor WINSs and the communication failures between WINSs - this can be run in a one-time or a continuous version.
The continuous version kicks in every 3 hrs. by default. It is recommended that this option not be run too often to avoid
excessive network activity. This option logs activity in Monitor.log.

Monitor WINSs periodically to ensure that both the primary and backup are not down together.
Also retrieve the WINS statistics periodically, every hour for instance, to ensure that replication
is not failing consistently.  In either case, alert the administrator to the situation.  The
communication problems may be due to a disconnected  WINS or one that is down.


4 - Verify replication configuration set up

Check the registry of a WINS to ensure that each partner is pull and push and that a pull interval is defined.
Check the same for each partner.  In this way, cover the entire network.  If an asymmetric  partner relationship
is discovered flag it for the administrator.