Which machine is the 'server'?

A friend has a three Windows 2000 computers linked in a network. One of the computers needs repairs, so I'm trying to establish whether the other two will function normally without it.

This got me thinking: None of the machines is running a server version of Win2K, so how can we tell which machine, if any, is crucial to the network? Obviously, we can experiment and turn them all OFF, then disconnect (or not switch it on) one and see if the others can operate without it, then try disconnecting another, and so on.

But I wondered if there's a more scientific way to do this. Does the "boss" machine in a Win2K network have any identification?

Also, if there IS a hierarchy, is there any way of changing it?

 

It sounds to me as if this is simply at network with 3 computers on it. Does your friend logon to a computer with a roaming profile or is it a local profile?

 

I think that what happens is that one machine is set up as a doc archive and that all the others are somehow set to go looking for the presence of that machine when THEY start up. I know that they complain loudly if it's not running when they start. As I said, I'm no boffin with Win2K, so I've no idea what's running on these pcs at startup to cause them to go looking for the "server" pc. A script of some kind maybe?