## Browsing Integration

Windows users expect to be able to browse the network. This is a different concept than browsing the web. In theory, a Windows NT user should be able to traverse a list of domains or workgroups and "drill down" to a specific host, and then to a specific resource, such as a directory or printer that he or she wants to access. This is a foreign concept to most UNIX users, as there has never been a dynamic discovery mechanism for resources that UNIX computers provide to the network. UNIX users have to know the name of a remote computer or printer to connect to it. Some UNIX-based SMB servers, such as Samba, can participate in browsing and look like another Windows-based server to Windows clients. This gives Windows users true integration, as they do not have to know what operating system is running on the server in order to use a resource.

As with several networking features of Windows NT and Microsoft Windows 95®, browsing assumes a very simple network environment, such as everybody sharing the same physical local area network (LAN).Therefore, you have to take specific steps to make browsing work across complex networks that include routers and wide area network (WAN) links. These require setting up NT domains and Windows NT WINS servers. Most UNIX networking works in the same manner on the small LAN as it does on complex networks such as the Internet. Most of Windows NT networking is broadcast-based, meaning that extra steps have to be taken for it to work in complex networks.

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Last Updated: December 1, 1997