The Domain Master Browser is necessary on a

routed Routing is the process of selecting a path for traffic in a network or between or across multiple networks. Broadly, routing is performed in many types of networks, including circuit-switched networks, such as the public switched telephone netwo ...

TCP/IP The Internet protocol suite, commonly known as TCP/IP, is a framework for organizing the set of communication protocols used in the Internet and similar computer networks according to functional criteria. The foundational protocols in the suit ...

network, that is, when a Windows domain spans more than one TCP/IP network. When a Windows domain spans multiple

subnets A subnetwork or subnet is a logical subdivision of an IP network. Updated by RFC 6918. The practice of dividing a network into two or more networks is called subnetting. Computers that belong to the same subnet are addressed with an identical ...

each of the subnets has an independent browser called the Master Browser. The Master Browser is responsible for the browse list within its respective subnet and portion of the domain on its subnet. The Domain Master Browser is used to collect information from each of the Master Browsers via the NetServerEnum

API An application programming interface (API) is a way for two or more computer programs to communicate with each other. It is a type of software interface, offering a service to other pieces of software. A document or standard that describes how ...

call. Once collected the list is merged with the Domain Master Browsers list for its own subnet. This merged list forms the enterprise wide browse list for the domain. This merged list is then distributed to the Master Browsers in each subnet so that the enterprise list can be available to computers requesting services. As part of the

Microsoft Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational corporation, multinational technology company, technology corporation producing Software, computer software, consumer electronics, personal computers, and related services headquartered at th ...

Windows Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for ...

Server Server may refer to: Computing *Server (computing), a computer program or a device that provides functionality for other programs or devices, called clients Role * Waiting staff, those who work at a restaurant or a bar attending customers and su ...

Operating Systems An operating system (OS) is system software that manages computer hardware, software resources, and provides common daemon (computing), services for computer programs. Time-sharing operating systems scheduler (computing), schedule tasks for ef ...

, the

browser service Browser service or Computer Browser Service is a feature of Microsoft Windows to let users easily browse and locate shared resources in neighboring computers. This is done by aggregating the information in a single computer "Browse Master" (or "Mas ...

is used to host information of other Windows computers within the same Windows domain or TCP/ IP

network Network, networking and networked may refer to: Science and technology * Network theory, the study of graphs as a representation of relations between discrete objects * Network science, an academic field that studies complex networks Mathematics ...

... the Domain Master Browser coordinates browse lists from all the local browsers in a workgroup, no matter what their network segments. Browsing in these terms is specific to viewing network resources within the Windows network such as the available domains and computers. The information, called a Browse List, is held by the browser and primarily consists of the computer names and the services each of the computers offers. There are several browser roles: the Backup Browser, the Master Browser, and the Domain Master Browser. The Domain Master Browser is located on the domain

Primary Domain Controller On Microsoft Servers, a domain controller (DC) is a Server (computing), server computer that responds to security authentication requests (logging in, etc.) within a Windows domain. A ''domain'' is a concept introduced in Windows NT whereby a user m ...

, or PDC.

References

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External links

* http://support.microsoft.com/kb/188001/en-us – Description of the Microsoft Computer Browser Service *~~http://support.microsoft.com/kb/188305 – Troubleshooting the Microsoft Computer Browser Service~~ * http://www.samba.org/samba/docs/man/Samba-HOWTO-Collection/NetworkBrowsing.html – explanation of browsing in MS Windows network Microsoft server technology