Definition of NetBIOS Name in Network Encyclopedia.
What is NetBIOS Name?
NetBIOS Name is a 16-byte name for a networking service or function on a machine running Microsoft Windows Server. NetBIOS names are a more friendly way of identifying computers on a network than network numbers and are used by NetBIOS-enabled services and applications.
NetBIOS names are used by Windows applications such as Windows Explorer and Network Neighborhood as well as by the Windows NT net commands.
In Windows 2000, NetLogon and other networking services now register in DNS, but legacy network command-line applications still use NetBIOS names to access these services.
How It Works
Each service that is NetBIOS-enabled requires a unique NetBIOS name to identify it on the network. This NetBIOS name consists of a name assigned to the computer during installation, which can be up to 15 characters, along with a 1-byte hexadecimal sixteenth character that identifies the type of service or function. The 15-character name can be the computer name, the domain name, or the name of the user who is logged on.
For example, the sixteenth character identifying the Windows NT Messenger service has the 1-byte hexadecimal identifier 03h. On a computer running Windows NT named SERVER12, the Messenger service would be uniquely identified on the network with the NetBIOS name SERVER12[03h]. NetBIOS names are also distinguished by whether they are
- A unique name, which applies to a single IP address
- A group name, which applies to a subnet group of IP addresses
- A multihomed name, which applies to a multicast group of IP addresses
The following table shows some of the more common suffixes that constitute the hidden sixteenth character of a NetBIOS name and the networking service with which they are associated.
Common Suffixes for NetBIOS Names
| Suffix (Hex) | First 15 Characters | Networking Service |
| 00 | Computer name | Workstation service |
| 00 | Domain name | Domain name |
| 03 | Computer name | Messenger service |
| 03 | User name | Messenger service |
| 06 | Computer name | RAS Server service |
| 20 | Computer name | File Server service |
| 21 | Computer name | RAS Client service |
| 1B | Domain name | Domain master browser |
| 1C | Domain name | Domain controllers |
| 1D | Domain name | Master browser |
| 1E | Domain name | Browser service election |
nbtstat command
To view the NetBIOS names registered for your computer, use the nbtstat command.
Example: nbtstat -n
See also:
