All TCP/IP-enabled systems use various forms of hostname resolution. The primary methods for TCP/IP hostname resolution involve either a static file (/etc/hosts) or the Domain Name System (DNS). DNS is the technology that makes the Internet usable. DNS-based hostname resolution is supported by nearly all TCP/IP-enabled systems. Only a few embedded TCP/IP systems do not support DNS.

Windows 200x/XP can register its hostname with a Dynamic DNS server (DDNS). It is possible to force register with a dynamic DNS server in Windows 200x/XP using ipconfig /registerdns .

With Active Directory, a correctly functioning DNS server is absolutely essential. In the absence of a working DNS server that has been correctly configured, MS Windows clients and servers will be unable to locate each other, so network services consequently will be severely impaired.

Use of raw SMB over TCP/IP (No NetBIOS layer) can be done only with Active Directory domains. Samba is not an Active Directory domain controller: ergo, it is not possible to run Samba as a domain controller and at the same time not use NetBIOS. Where Samba is used as an Active Directory domain member server (DMS) it is possible to configure Samba to not use NetBIOS over TCP/IP. A Samba DMS can integrate fully into an Active Directory domain, however, if NetBIOS over TCP/IP is disabled, it is necessary to manually create appropriate DNS entries for the Samba DMS because they will not be automatically generated either by Samba, or by the ADS environment.