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By default, when Server Manager (SM) is focused on a domain, it uses 2 sources of information to build it's machine list; the domain's SAM and the browse list.

1) The domain's SAM provides a list of machine accounts. This list includes all of the member machines and domain controllers in the domain.

a) The machines accounts of workstations and non-DC servers are identical. SM can't distinguish between servers and workstations from the information available in the SAM.

b) Domain Controllers have special accounts. SM can identify DCs, from the SAM accounts alone.

2) The browse list (the same list you see in Network Neighborhood) is used for several purposes.

a) Machines that appear in the browse list, but not in the SAM (e.g. machines with their workgroup set to the domain name) are added to SM's machine list. This is how 9x machines and non-member NT systems appear in SM's machine list.

b) SM uses the browse information to identify the type of machine (e.g. NT workstation, NT server, 9x, etc).

c) SM uses the browse list to determine the status of a machine (online or off). If a machine appears in the SAM, but not in the browse list, it will be represented by a 'grayed out' icon.

 

SM's View menu provides several options that affect SM's machine list.

1) 'View domain members only': Enabling this option prevents SM from using the browse list. The result is:

a) The machine list includes only machines with accounts in the domain's SAM.

b) SM can no longer determine the status of a machine. So all machines are represented with 'grayed out' icons with the possible exception of the PDC (if SM to connected to the PDC, while opening, it knows it's online).

c) SM can also no longer distinguish between servers and workstations. So all non-DC machines will be listed as 'Windows NT Workstation or Server'.

2) 'All' this is the default and provides the behavior listed in #1.

3) 'Workstations': Enabling the 'Workstations' option hides all identified servers and DCs from SM's machine list. However, the visible result of enabling this option depends on the state of the 'Show domain members only' option:

a) If 'Show domain members only' is disabled (the default setting), the result is a list of NT workstations, unidentified machines (workstation or server), and 9x machines.

b) If 'Show domain members only' is enabled, the result is a list that only contains unidentified member machines (listed as 'workstation or server'). If there are no unidentified member machines, the list will be empty.

3) 'Servers': Enabling the 'Servers' option hides everything, except identified servers and DCs, from SM's machine list. The visible result of enabling this option depends on the state of the 'Show domain members only' option:

a) If 'Show domain members only' is disabled, the result is a list of all identified servers and DCs.

b) If 'Show domain members only' is enabled, the result is a list of only DCs.

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