Optimizing the Browser Service in Windows


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To make a server appear in the browse list but not participate as a potential browser server (i.e., to create a non-browser server), modify the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Browser\Parameters\ MaintainServerList Registry key of type REG_SZ and a default value of Auto. Setting this value to No instructs the machine to participate as a non-browser server but announce itself to the segment master browser. If you set this value to Yes, the machine acts as a browser server and participates in browser server elections.

To boost the performance of one or more NT systems on a network segment, modify the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Browser\Parameters\ and IsDomainMaster Registry key of type REG_SZ and a default value of FALSE. Setting this value to TRUE makes the machine a preferred master browser.

Finally, you can hide a machine from the browse list by typing the following command at a command prompt:

net config server /hidden:yes

This command sets the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\LanmanServer\Parameters\Hidden registry key to 1. The machine will be accessible as a network server, but users must manually enter Uniform Naming Convention (UNC) pathnames to the server and its shared resources—the machine won't appear in network browse lists.

After you make this change, you must stop and restart the Server service or reboot the machine. Also, a machine can take as many as 51 minutes to disappear from the browse list because of the Windows network browsing services' expiration policies.

The mrxsmb 8003 error

This error is tipically not critical, but only a warning, so it usually need no user action is required.

Event ID: 8003
Source: mrxsmb
Version: 5.0
Symbolic Name: EVENT_BOWSER_OTHER_MASTER_ON_NET
Message: The master browser has received a server announcement from the computer %2

Explanation

This computer is a master browser, and another computer has announced that it is the master browser. There can be only one master browser on a subnet at any given time. This message is logged for informational purposes only.

The existence of two browser masters occurs when a second computer cannot contact the master browser for some reason: for example, when there are name resolution problems or the master browser is too busy to respond. When the original master browser receives a master announcement from the second computer, the master browser tries to resolve the conflict by ending its status as a master server, forcing an election, or both.

A tipical and radical solution to this event is usually to turn off completely the Computer Browser (in services.msc console) service on all non-master browser client. However this kind of action will lead all clients affected by this action to be not published anymore in Windows Network entity.

The following description shows the values to which MaintainServerList can be set and the meaning for the computer's participation in browser services.

  • NO: this value prevents the computer from participating as a browser.
  • YES: this value makes the computer a browser. Upon startup, the computer attempts to contact the master browser to get a current browse list. If the master browser cannot be found, the computer will force a browser election. The computer will either be elected master browser or become a backup browser. This value is the default on a computer running Windows 2000 Server and Windows NT Server (2003, 2008 and 2012).
  • AUTO: this value makes the computer a potential browser . It might become a browser, depending on the number of currently active browsers. The master browser notifies this computer whether or not it is to become a backup browser. This value is the default for computers running Windows 2000 Professional and Windows NT Workstation.

On any computer with the value of MaintainServerList set to Yes or Auto , the browser service starts when the computer is booted.

Another entry in the registry, IsDomainMaster, helps determine which servers become master browsers and backup browsers. Setting the value of the IsDomainMaster entry to True makes the computer a preferred master browser. Any computer running Windows 2000 or Windows NT can be configured as a preferred master browser.

When the browser service is started on the preferred master browser, the browser service forces an election. Preferred master browsers are given priority in elections, which means the preferred master browser always wins the election if no other condition prevents it. This gives an administrator the ability to configure a specific computer as the master browser.
To specify a computer as the preferred master browser, set the value of the IsDomainMaster entry to True. This entry (data type Reg_SZ) appears in the following registry subkey:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Browser\Parameters

Unless the computer is configured as the preferred master browser, the value of the IsDomainMaster entry is always set to False or No. There is no user interface for making these changes; the registry must be modified using a registry editor (regedt32.exe or regedit.exe).