Joining the domain without using WINS

Circumventing WINS

You can configure the NetCache appliance for deployment in enterprise environments that require the appliance to authenticate to Microsoft Windows NT without using WINS as a name server. For example, an enterprise might want to bypass WINS because its traffic load is heavy or because WINS is considered less reliable than the enterprise can allow for.

To bypass WINS, the appliance must connect directly to the Primary Domain Controller (PDC) used to maintain the user and machine database for the domain. The appliance must also specify the location (IP address) of a Backup Domain Controller (BDC) in the domain to be used to authenticate users.

A Microsoft Windows NT domain can have only one PDC, which propagates its data to the BDCs, but it can have many BDCs.

To further ensure that WINS is successfully circumvented if the first PDC and BDCs specified are unavailable, you can specify multiple failover domain controllers to be used.

Requirements if not using WINS

To join a Microsoft Windows NT domain without using WINS, you must provide the following information

Information	Required to...	Specified from...
NT4 primary DC addresses	To locate the domain. The appliance then identifies itself to the domain using the PDC The appliance regularly (weekly) changes its user password on the PDC automatically to enhance security. The NetCache can also use the PDC to authenticate clients (users). However, in most cases it uses one of the BDCs, which are less busy.	The Appliance Manager's: Setup > Authentication > NTLM and Kerberos page: Domain Controllers tab NT4 Primary DC IP addresses
NT4 backup DC addresses	Authenticate users to the NT domain	The Appliance Manager: Domain Controllers tab NT4 Backup IP Addresses option
Name of the Windows domain	Identify the domain you want to join	Appliance Manager: Join Domain tab Windows Domain Name option CLI: windows_setup
Windows NT machine name for this NetCache Note This is the name of the NetCache server account configured on the Windows NT primary domain controller (PDC).	Identify this appliance to the domain	The Appliance Manager: Join Domain tab Windows Machine Name option (name of the appliance on the NT PDC) CLI windows_setup

Information

Required to...

Specified from...

NT4 primary DC addresses

To locate the domain.

The appliance then identifies itself to the domain using the PDC
The appliance regularly (weekly) changes its user password on the PDC automatically to enhance security.
The NetCache can also use the PDC to authenticate clients (users). However, in most cases it uses one of the BDCs, which are less busy.

The Appliance Manager's:
Setup > Authentication > NTLM and Kerberos page:

Domain Controllers tab
NT4 Primary DC IP addresses

NT4 backup DC addresses

Authenticate users to the NT domain

The Appliance Manager:

Domain Controllers tab
NT4 Backup IP Addresses option

Name of the Windows domain

Identify the domain you want to join

Appliance Manager:

Join Domain tab
Windows Domain Name option

CLI:

windows_setup

Windows NT machine name for this NetCache

Note
This is the name of the NetCache server account configured on the Windows NT primary domain controller (PDC).

Identify this appliance to the domain

The Appliance Manager:

Join Domain tab
Windows Machine Name option (name of the appliance on the NT PDC)

CLI



windows_setup