Windows network discovery across PepVPNs

Product Discussion
1

What’s the best practice here?

I’ve attempted to setup an internal WINS server, but it doesn’t show any Windows clients connected. B210 8.1.3

I’d prefer that each subnet has its own DHCP server.

any insight?
Roger

2

There is no WINS replication option across PepVPN (might be a good feature request), so if you want device A1 on subnet A to be able to resolve the IP address of B1 on Subnet B then both A1 and B1 need to be pointing at the same WINS server.

In this example you could have WINS enabled on the router in Subnet A and then tell the WINS server on the router at subnet B to use an external WINS server and set that to the IP address of the A Subnet router.

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2 Likes
3

Thanks for the reply.

My thought was I’d enable the WINS Server in each router for each subnet. then in all the Windows computers, I’d reference each of the WINS Servers on each subnet - the local subnet being first in the list. (this is a bad example, I don’t currently have access to a computer, but the router addresses are in the WINS Server list, the example here is empty)

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but when I enable the WINS Server, I see no clients in the WINS Clients status.

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The following is from a Google search - and, you know all info on the internet is accurate!

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Roger

4

I don’t think that’s what happens. Instead the first server is contacted and if that responds (in any way) then the rest of the WINS servers listed are ignored.

Why you are not seeing local WINS clients listen though is a good question.

5

WINS is archaic… a modern method of handling this name resolution would be AD-integrated DNS zone, where domain-joined computers will self-register an A-record & keep it up to date as it changes.

6

yeah, archaic. however, we don’t have a local AD server, we use Azure-AD, and not all the computers are joined to the Azure-AD. So i don’t see how i can use that… is there a way?

7

WINS doesnt really have security per-say. If your ok with that you could just setup the DNS zone to allow ‘unsecure’ updates. That would allow you to use DNS for name resolution and the domain joined concern is eliminated.