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| Analyze your system before disabling NetBIOS in a Windows 2000 Server |
| According to Microsoft, removing NetBIOS offers several advantages, including simplifying the |
| transport of SMB traffic, removing WINS and NetBIOS broadcast as a means of name resolution, |
| and standardizing name resolution on DNS for file and printer sharing. |
| However, there are also some negative side effects to disabling NetBIOS. |
| Without NetBIOS, Windows 2000 file transfers are conducted via direct-hosted SMB traffic. |
| Direct-hosted SMB traffic uses TCP and UDP port 445, but older operating systems such as |
| Windows 95, 98, and Me don't support this feature. Users with computers running these OSs won't |
| be able to access your shares if NetBIOS is disabled. |
| Also, applications that rely on NetBIOS as a name service won't work after NetBIOS is disabled. |
| After disabling NetBIOS, make sure to thoroughly test all of your applications. |
| Here's the bottom line: While disabling NetBIOS provides increased security for your network, you |
| might also lose compatibility with some older applications. So, first carefully analyze your system |
| before disabling NetBIOS. |
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