Where is WINS role/feature in Windows 2012

Question

I just added a Windows 2012 server to my domain (decomisioning an old Win2003 DC). I added DHCP and DNS roles no problem, but I cannot find WINS

When I look at services I see WINS is already running. Strange...why?

Solution

If WINS is already installed, run mmc.exe. Click on Add/Remove Snap-in. Add the snap-in for WINS.

WINS is very crusty and Microsoft probably wishes it could ditch it, but there are many customers out there who still rely on it... unfortunately.

Oh and if you mean to install WINS, it's in the Features list, not Roles.

When I look at services I see WINS is already running. Strange...why?

My only guess is that you upgraded this DC in place from an older version of Windows Server that already had WINS on it. Server 2012 doesn't install WINS by default in a fresh installation.

Comments

[joeqwerty]

Why would you need or want to use WINS?

[TSG]

Looks like I have no choice..WINS is already running. Are you suggesting I stop the service?

[joeqwerty]

This answer is incomplete at best. Do you mean that the DNS servers are being assigned via DHCP and therefore the assigned DNS servers will perform name resolution for the clients? If so, it's an assumption that the OP is using DHCP and secondly, you should expand your answer to include this information. Saying that "all the informations needed for the clients are comming from DHCP" doesn't mean anything and assumes a network configuration that hasn't been explicitly stated.

[TSG]

Actually this is a fresh new install, on a new VM. But its there! (I installed DNS, so perhaps WINS now installs with DNS)

[Ryan Ries]

Nope... I don't have WINS on my Server 2012 DNS servers either... I don't know why you have it on your installation. In any case, if it's installed, the mmc snapin should let you manage it. But as everyone else has already said, if you don't need it, get rid of it. Remove it via Server Manager or Remove-WindowsFeature in Powershell.

[TSG]

But in server manager there is no ROLE or FEATURE called WINS (or Windows Internet naming Service)

[Ryan Ries]

@Michelle Yes there is.

[Brian D.]

Here we are in 2017, and unfortunately you may still need WINS. For instance we need it for NetBIOS name resolution over a PPTP VPN. Without it only FQDN and IP address resolution works.