Creating the Input Files

To run the scripts in the cleaning process, you need to create several input files. First, you need to create servlist.txt and the applicable time-zone (e.g., east.txt, central.txt, mountain.txt) input files. PingAll.cmd and CopyDoNbt.cmd use servlist.txt. This input file lists the names of all the WINS servers in your master account domain and resource domains. SchedNbt.cmd uses the time-zone files. Each time-zone file lists the names of the WINS servers that are in that particular time zone.

To obtain the data for these input files, I used Adkins Resource's Hyena 2.5, then exported the information as a tab-delimited file to Microsoft Excel. (If you don't have Hyena or a similar utility, you can use the Net View command to obtain the server names and redirect the command's output to a text file.) In Excel, I manipulated the data into various lists (e.g., a list of all server names, a list of the server names in the Eastern time zone). I then copied each list into a text file and named the text file appropriately.

After you create servlist.txt, you use this input file with PingAll.cmd to obtain the information you need to create winsiplist.txt. Winsiplist.txt contains the IP addresses of the WINS servers. StopWins.cmd, DelWins.cmd, and StartWins.cmd use these IP addresses to connect to those servers.

When PingAll.cmd runs, it directs its output to pinglist.txt. This output contains the needed IP addresses; however, the output also contains the server names. Thus, you need to remove the server names. An easy way to manipulate the output is to use Excel. After you start Excel, open pinglist.txt. When you open a text file in Excel, the Text Import Wizard appears automatically. The wizard asks what type of original data you are importing. Select the Delimited option. The wizard then walks you through a series of steps that results in the parsing of the output in pinglist.txt. After you click Finish, the output appears in two columns in the spreadsheet. Column A contains the server names, and column B contains the IP addresses. Delete column A, then save the spreadsheet as winsiplist.txt.