Windows 7 / Networking

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Working with Peer Name Resolution Protocol

The Peer Name Resolution Protocol (PNRP) is the basis for connectivity between peers in a workgroup. Every computer in a network has to be able to identify every other computer. You wouldn't want to connect to Computer A one time and to Computer B another time because they both have the same name or the network confuses them in some way. Reliable connections ensure that everyone connects to the same machine every time.

A workgroup often experiences problems with standard methods of machine identification, such as using the Domain Name System (DNS). That's the reason Microsoft has created PNRP - to overcome identification difficulties. PNRP provides these benefits:

• Distributed identification that doesn't rely on a central server
• Support for as many names as the network requires
• Name publications without the use of third-party products or third-party servers
• Real-time identification updates
• Support for naming all device types, not just computers
• Protected name publication so that you don't have to worry about someone else grabbing your name

The best part about PNRP is that you normally don't have to do anything special to use it. The only potential problem is that you must ensure that the Computer Browser service is running and that all workstations that share resources also have the Server service running. If these two services are running, you probably won't experience any problems with PNRP. You can read the full technical details of PNRP at http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb726971.aspx.