Locating Browsers - Bay Networks Remote Annex User Manual

Configuration and
Election Process
Appendix A
Browsers are selected through configuration and an election process. It
is possible to set a station to be a MB. This only gives it additional weight
in the election process. Another weight in the election process is the type
of operating system running (Microsoft Windows NT
Windows for Workgroups
to select the MB for the subnet. This process can be affected by such
things as boot speed (after a power failure) and is a very dynamic process.
Except for the DMB, it is not always possible to statically determine the
address of a MB. If the current MB shuts down or certain other conditions
occur, a new MB election can be triggered, although in general, once a
MB has been selected, it remains the MB, even if other stations may now
be a better weighted choice.

Locating Browsers

The client station maintains a cache of IP addresses and important
services and will first (a)check its cache for browsers. If the cache does
not contain any browsers, the next step is to (b)generate a NetBIOS over
IP broadcast to try to locate a MB on its subnet. If the subnet MB responds,
the client will send a directed query to the MB to get a list of browsers
on the subnet. The MB returns a list of browsers on the Domain/subnet
being queried. The client caches up to 3 browsers as previously
mentioned. The broadcast time out occurs if there is no MB on the client's
subnet. There is no way to direct a client to a MB outside its subnet.
Therefore, if there is no MB on the subnet, a client on that subnet can not
browse. If the client can not find the MB after 3 attempts, a Force Election
broadcast is issued to force election of a new MB for the subnet. However,
a station on a slow link (remote access) is prevented from being a Browser.
So even if the remote access client is capable of acting as a Browser, the
link type prevents it. A remote access client calling into a subnet with no
MB will be unable to browse the network.
Remote Annex Server Tools for Windows NT
Browsing for Resources on a Microsoft Network
). An election is held between all potential MBs
®
User Guide
®
, Windows 95,
A-3