(^528) PC Hardware: A Beginner’s Guide
time the PC is booted through the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP). The
DHCP server assigns each workstation an IP address to use for that session. All versions
of Windows 9xand Windows NT/2000 have built-in DHCP clients.
To check the IP address assignment on your networked PC, open an MS-DOS command
prompt and enter IPCONFIG on the command line.
Network Names
Every PC and most of the other devices on a Windows network are assigned a NetBIOS
(Network Basic Input Output System) name, which is also called a network name. The
most common form of a network name is the share name assigned to a workstation and
used to identify it to other network users wishing to share its resources over the LAN.
WindowsbuildsatableusingtheWINS(WindowsInternetNameService)thatcorrelates
the IP and NetBIOS names of each network node.
The NetBIOS name is a unique 15-character name that is periodically broadcast over
the network to be cataloged by the Network Neighborhood function. The NetBIOS name
is the one that shows up on the Windows Network Neighborhood.Figure 20-12. The IPCONFIG command is used to display the IP address configuration of a PC