Force Master Browser

[dbarrow]

In a few trips through the MSKB, I still fail to grasp this completely...

On a simple home network, how can you force your choice of machine to be the Master Browser for the network?

Other than choosing which machines are booted up in what order, can you force one (the fastest) to be the Master Browser?

I only noticed this when digging through event logs and finding an error "connecting to the Master Browser" which showed the wireless machine as the master.
As the wireless is the slowest on the network (because of the wireless, not the machine) I don't want it being elected Master Browser.

I usually bring up the network after a shutdown in a specific boot order but following a power outage the other day, I guess daughter beat me to the punch as the first machine back online so that's how it got on the top of the heap.

I did see some reg edits in the MSKB articles but not sure about naming one machine as a Domain Controller.

I am resetting Browser Service to auto on mine and manual on the rest.

[kelly]

What's a Master Browser?

[dbarrow]

One machine on your network is "elected" the master browser to keep track of network machines, file and printer shares.
The other machines then serve as "backup browsers" and can take over that duty when called upon if the master can't provide the information.

The "network traffic" you see every few minutes (there is a specific schedule) is every machine keeping aware of itself and others on the network and the shared files and printers.

[Tortanick]

Really the router should be doing that. Where can I read more about the master browser thing?

[Dan18960]

Routers setup even as DHCP only act as ip dynamic distributors. They don't have the capacity to store data on shares, printers, computer authentication on the network via user names and passwords.

[Tortanick]

Then they should have the capcacity, in a small network they are the perfect place to put that info, central, always on.

Isn't authentication details allways stored on the computer you're trying to authenticate against? Unless you've got a big network with a dedicated LDAP server for that.

[dbarrow]

Description of the Microsoft Computer Browser Service
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/188001/en-us

If you have a network, you use it...