WINS Incorrect Version ID Assigned During Scavenging or Consistency Check

• Microsoft Windows NT Workstation version 4.0
• Microsoft Windows NT Server version 4.0
• Microsoft Windows NT Server version 4.0, Terminal Server Edition

SYMPTOMS

When scavenging or running a consistency check against WINS replication partners, a WINS server may assign local version IDs to records of the replicated database.

This may result in one of the following scenarios if you have the UseRplPnrs registry key enabled:

• If there is a PUSH/PULL relationship between the WINS servers, the version ID of the server that is scavenging or consistency checking will be pulled to the replication partner and will cause an unnecessary version jump in the replicated database where the scavenge or consistency check is performed.



• If there is a PUSH relationship between the WINS servers and the version ID of the server that is doing the scavenge or consistency check is higher than the PUSH partner, replication will stop until the version ID of the partner catches up to that of the replication partner. In the cases where the version ID of the partner is extremely high, the partner will never catch up or it would take years to catch up. To work around this problem you will have to do a "delete owner" on the replicated database to reset the version ID and then re-enable replication.
  
  NOTE:
  HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet
  \Services\Wins\Parameters
  
  UseRplPnrs - REG_DWORD
  Range: 0 or 1 (nonzero)
  Default: 0
  Description: Determines which pull partners WINS uses when performing consistency checks. If the value of this entry is set to 0, WINS contacts the owner WINS server. If it is set to a nonzero value, WINS randomly picks a WINS from its list of pull partners unless the owner WINS server also happens to be a pull partner. In that case, the owner WINS is contacted.

CAUSE

During a scavenge or consistency check, there is a problem where a replica record was flagged indicating that the WINS server should update a record. This results in a version ID increase. Record ownership is not verified and the version ID is incorrectly assigned.

Additionally, as a result of the check done on the records, another problem is addressed with group names that are in the released or tombstone state. There is a problem where group names in the released or tombstone state can cause symptoms similar to the symptoms stated above after a scavenge or consistency check was run against the WINS database.

RESOLUTION

There is now a check in place to ensure that only owned records are manipulated.

To resolve this problem, obtain the latest service pack for Windows NT 4.0 or Windows NT Server 4.0, Terminal Server Edition. For additional information, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q152734 How to Obtain the Latest Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Windows NT 4.0 and Windows NT Server 4.0, Terminal Server Edition. This problem was first corrected in Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 4.0 and Windows NT Server 4.0, Terminal Server Edition Service Pack 4.

Keywords          : NT4SP4Fix kbbug4.00 kbfix4.00.sp4 
Version           : WinNT:4.0
Platform          : winnt 
Issue type        : kbbug 

Last Reviewed: April 10, 1999