Configuring the Name Service Provider

If your distributed application registers its interface with a name-service, both the client and server must be using the same name-service. Microsoft RPC interoperates with the Microsoft Locator and any name-service provider that adheres to the Microsoft RPC name-service interface (NSI) — for example, the DCE Cell Directory Service accessed through Digital Equipment Corporation's name-service daemon (nsid). The Locator, which is designed for use in Windows environments, is the default name-service provider.

    Windows NT

When you install the Win32 SDK on Microsoft® Windows NT, the Locator is automatically selected as the name-service provider. See Reconfiguring the Name Service for Windows NT for information on selecting a different name-service provider.

    Windows 95

Windows 95 does not use the Locator. If your Windows 95 application is to use a name service, it must be part of a workgroup or domain that includes a Windows NT machine to serve as a proxy name-service provider, or be connected to a host machine running the NSI daemon to serve as a gateway to DCE CDS. For more information, see Configuring the Name Service for Windows 95.

    MS-DOS and Windows 3.x

When you run SETUP.EXE to install the 16-bit RPC run-time library, you are prompted to select a name service provider.

When you choose Install Default Name Service Provider, the default name-service provider, the Microsoft Locator, is installed. The Microsoft Locator works in Microsoft Windows NT domains.

When you choose Install Custom Name Service Provider, complete the Define Network Address dialog box to install the DCE Cell Directory Service as your name-service provider. The DCE Cell Directory Service is the name-service provider used with DCE servers.

The network address is the name of the host computer that runs the NSI daemon (nsid). This machine acts as a gateway to the DCE Cell Directory Service, passing name-service interface function calls between computers that run Microsoft operating systems and DCE computers. The network address can be 80 characters or less — for example, 11.1.9.169 is a valid address.