network browsing

Is it true that browsing the network through My Network Places > Entire Network > Microsoft Windows Network uses NetBIOS even in a native 2000 domain? If so this would explain why I can't see across my child domains this way....

 

This reply is long and the first parts are not a direct answer to your question. I put them in because I frequently find that when folks mention NetBIOS they aren't really clear exactly what it means. May not apply in your case but lots of others read these threads and I'm sure many can use the primer.

NetBIOS (Network Basic Input Output System)

Starting with DOS version 3.1, Microsoft used the NetBIOS API to transport SMB file service messages.

NetBIOS over TCP/IP is also called NetBT or NBT

On the 7-layer OSI reference model, NetBIOS is a session-layer (layer 5) API. Under DOS and its offspring, applications talk to NetBIOS by filling in a record structure known as a Network Control Block (NCB) and signalling an interrupt. The NCBs are used to pass commands and messages between applications and the underlying protocol stack.

The NetBIOS LAN architecture is very simple. No routers, no switches - just a bunch of nodes connected to a (virtual) wire. No separate hardware addresses, network addresses, or even port numbers as there is in IP. Instead, the communications endpoints are identified by 16-byte strings known as "NetBIOS Names ".

Routed Internet: Broadcasts aren't meant to cross subnet boundaries, so a different mechanism is used when the nodes are separated by routers. You use
a machine to act as the NetBIOS Name Server (NBNS, aka. WINS Server2). Typically this will be a Unix host running Samba, or a Windows NT or W2K server. In order to use the NBNS, all of the nodes that are participating in the virtual NetBIOS LAN must be given the server's IP address. This can be done by entering the address in the client's NetBIOS configuration or, on Windows systems, via DHCP.

Enter W2K and Active Directory. WINS is not native to them although it can be used if needed.

Enter CIFS (Common Internet File System and a son of SMB) which M$ tried and failed to have made an RFC and DFS (Distributed File System) which is an extension of CIFS and was released well before NT5 was available with the full AD (Active Directory) implementation. Interesting details Here.

Take a look at Here for some information. Even though it is aimed at a specific 3rd party product, the excellent intro information should help clear up some more things hopefully.

Also take a look at Q299977.

And to FINALLY answer your original question, AFAIK any OS earlier than 2000 will need NBT to have NetHood function properly. If you are using DNS, 2K/XP should not need it at all.

There may be some snap-ins for earlier OS's that will allow them to dispense with NBT as well but I'm not familiar with any.