Hello all! Could I ask for a bit of advice on my first 2012R2 home server.

[Drashna Jaelre]

If this is for the 'network" where it shows the list of computers? 

Do you mean the actual computer of media devices?

 

 

If you mean the actual computer... then installing the "Windows Internet Name Server" on the server, and setting up your router to use the Server as the WINS entry, that may help.

 

Also, make sure the clients share the same WORKGROUP as your domain name (the domain.local, minus the ".local" part).

[ikon]

Also, make sure the clients share the same WORKGROUP as your domain name (the domain.local, minus the ".local" part).

 

Hah, item #2 in my post. Thanks for the confirmation. I missed the bit about WINS though. I thought of it, but I thought WINS is deprecated. Guess not. Is it a Role, or what?

[Drashna Jaelre]

Hah, item #2 in my post. Thanks for the confirmation. I missed the bit about WINS though. I thought of it, but I thought WINS is deprecated. Guess not. Is it a Role, or what?

WINS is definitely depreciated. But I've found that it really does help with this. It's just a "netBIOS name server" basically.

 

And it's a Feature, IIRC. Just install it and start it, and you're done. No configuration needed.

[ikon]

WINS is definitely depreciated. But I've found that it really does help with this. It's just a "netBIOS name server" basically.

 

And it's a Feature, IIRC. Just install it and start it, and you're done. No configuration needed.

 

Good to know. Yeah, I thought its lifetime ended with Server 2003 or something, definitely with the EoL of XP. And agreed, I've never seen anywhere where WINS needs to be configured.

[Drashna Jaelre]

Good to know. Yeah, I thought its lifetime ended with Server 2003 or something, definitely with the EoL of XP. And agreed, I've never seen anywhere where WINS needs to be configured.

Needs no, but sometimes it does help.

Which is why I think it's still there. And in a home environment, it's really useful.

[ikon]

Sorry, what I meant is that I've never seen where the WINS service itself needs any special configuration. IOW, you install it and it runs. I have no doubt that it can help in non-Domain LANs.

[jmwills]

 

Not sure what you mean. what I'm saying I would like my server to appear as \\homeserver or \\media  or even \\home and not \\WIN-U0BK73G7T65K or \\WIN-U0BK73G7T65K.HOME.local

 

Control Panel> System You can change the host name in there

[ikon]

Just to flesh the WINS topic: it's found in Server Manager, under Features. Click Add a Feature and scroll down the popup list. It's right near the bottom.

Control Panel> System You can change the host name in there

 

It's not locked out like it is in WHS2011?

[jmwills]

No, its a PDC.

[ikon]

Cool.