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        NetBIOS Scope ID All Uppercase in Windows NT 4.0

Section(s): Network, Miscellaneous
Published on Apr 20, 2004.
Last Modified on Apr 20, 2004.
Last Modified by Wayne Maples.
Rating: Not Rated

In Windows NT 4.0, a NetBIOS Scope ID can only be typed in uppercase in the TCP/IP Protocol Properties dialog box. This entry is therefore stored in the registry in uppercase. However, the Windows NT 4.0 dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP) manager scope option 047 allows the NetBIOS Scope ID to be case sensitive. If this is not configured with all uppercase characters, clients who have static TCP/IP properties will not be able to communicate with DHCP clients. You will need to used a registry editor to change the vaule of subkey ScopeID to the required case.

You cannot configure NetBIOS scopes on a Windows 2000-based computer by using the graphical user interface (GUI) or with Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP). You have to create this registry hack. In Q244438 , Microsoft warns:

The use of NetBIOS scopes as described in this article is included only as a convenience for limited situations in which they absolutely must be used, and no other alternatives exist (such as VLANs, IPSec, more restrictive use of NTFS and share security, and so on). The use of NetBIOS scopes is discouraged, and there are no guarantees that NetBIOS scopes will be supported in future releases of Microsoft products.

Hive: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
Key: System\CurrentControlSet\Services\NetBT\parameters\
Name: ScopeID
Type: REG_SZ