Recovering a WINS Database From Other Backup Sources

There may be times when using the Restore Local Database function within the Microsoft Windows Internet Name Service (WINS) Manager tool may not be sufficient to restore a WINS database. To recover the data, you may be required to restore files from other sources such as a tape backup. The purpose of this article is to document a set of procedures to accomplish this.

Backing UP the WINS Database

The WINS database can be backed up locally or to a network drive. The default folder for the backup files is %SystemRoot%\System32\Wins\Backup. Inside the backup folder is a Wins_bak folder and inside that is a folder named New. Located in the New folder are three files required to restore from backup.

The user can identify a backup path in WINS Manager by performing the following steps:

1. Open WINS Manager.
2. Double-click on the server entry in the WINS Servers List to ensure you are working on that server.
3. Click to select Server, and then click to select Configuration.
4. In the WINS Server Configuration window, click Advanced to view the Advanced WINS Server Configuration options.
5. Click to select Logging Enabled or the WINS database cannot be backed up.
6. Type the folder location of the WINS database backup files in the Database Backup Path box. You may use the Browse button to visually select a path. If no entry is made, the default location is used.
7. Click to select Backup On Termination if you want WINS to backup the database every time the WINS service is stopped.
8. When these steps are completed, a manual backup of the database is required for the first time or automatic backups cannot occur. To accomplish this, on the Mappings menu, click Backup Database.
9. Choose the folder where the backup files are to be stored (this should be the location you identified in Step 6), and then click OK.

Frequently, network administrators choose to also backup the same files in the WINS backup location to another media such as a tape drive. The J500000XX.log, Wins.mdb, and Wins.pat files are placed in the Wins_bak\New backup folder. If you wish to back up the WINS database to a tape, you need to ensure that these files are selected or just select the backup folder itself.

Restoring a WINS Database from the Configured Backup Location

To restore the WINS database from the backup location configured using the procedures listed above, do the following:

1. Stop the WINS service. At a command prompt, type net stop wins, and then press Enter. You can also use the Control Panel Services tool by click Windows Internet Name Service, and then click Stop.
2. After the WINS Service is stopped, highlight the server in WINS Manager and, from the Mappings menu, click Restore Local Database. Select the location where the backup database is located. Using the Browse button, find the correct location of the backup files, and then click OK.
3. A successful backup is indicated by a pop-up message stating Restore Successfully Completed.
4. At this point, your database includes all entries that were in the backup copy of the Wins.mdb file. This information is current as of the last time the WINS database was either manually backed up using the Backup Database function on the Mappings menu or automatically backed up by the WINS service itself.
   
   For additional information about WINS automatic backup, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
   191846  (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/191846/EN-US/ ) WINS Automatic Backup Does Not Run Every Three Hours
5. You can now jetpack the WINS database to ensure that you get a successful compaction without errors.
   
   NOTE: For additional information about on how to jetpack a WINS database, please see the following articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
   145881  (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/145881/EN-US/ ) How to Use Jetpack.exe to Compact a WINS or DHCP Database
   
   172570  (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/172570/EN-US/ ) Jetpack Error codes for Windows NT 4.0
6. Restart the WINS service. At a command prompt, type net start wins, and then press Enter. Or, using the Control Panel Services tool, click Windows Internet Name Service, and then click Start.

Restoring a WINS Database from Other Media

To restore a WINS database from another media like a tape backup, the J500000XX.log, Wins.mdb, and Wins.pat files must be copied to the folder that currently contains these same files that are the backup files from the last time WINS was backed up (either manually or automatically). The steps outlined here are to be followed to provide the best possible results. The primary assumption is that a decision to restore a WINS database from another media source has been made because the current WINS database is corrupt, a recovery from the primary backup database location was not successful (that is, that database may also be corrupt), or the required information is no longer in the current backup copy of the database but may be on the copy on the other media.

1. Identify the location of the files listed above so they can be restored accurately.
2. If the current WINS database is no longer viable, you can recreate the database from scratch. To do this:
   1. At a command prompt, type net stop wins, and then press Enter.
   2. Delete all files in the %SystemRoot%\System32\Wins folder with the exception of the Backup folder (or copy the files to another location in case you need them later for troubleshooting purposes).
   3. At a command prompt, type net start wins, and then press Enter.
   After you complete these steps, a news WINS database is created.
3. Copy the J500000XX.log, Wins.mdb, and Wins.pat files from the external media to the folder location under the backup folder. If prompted to replace the current files, click Yes to All.
4. After this is completed, at a command prompt, typenet stop wins, and then press Enter.
5. In WINS Manager, highlight the WINS server you want to restore the database on and from the Mappings menu, click Restore Local Database.
6. After the restore completes successfully, At a command prompt, type net start wins, and then press Enter. You may now inspect the database for the desired entries.

Other Useful Knowledge Base Articles Relating to the WINS Database