Browser service or Computer Browser Service is a feature of Microsoft Windows

Microsoft Windows

Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...

 to let users easily browse and locate shared resource

Shared resource

In computing, a shared resource or network share is a device or piece of information on a computer that can be remotely accessed from another computer, typically via a local area network or an enterprise Intranet, transparently as if it were a resource in the local machine.Examples are shared file...

s in neighboring computers. This is done by aggregating the information in a single computer 'Browse Master' (or 'Master Browser'). All other computers contact this computer for information and display in the Network Neighborhood window.

Browser service runs on MailSlot

MailSlot

A MailSlot is a type of interprocess communication that allows communication between processes both locally and over a network. The use of MailSlots is generally simpler than named pipes or sockets, but they are more limited.-Features:...

 / Server Message Block

Server Message Block

In computer networking, Server Message Block , also known as Common Internet File System operates as an application-layer network protocol mainly used to provide shared access to files, printers, serial ports, and miscellaneous communications between nodes on a network. It also provides an...

 and thus can be used with all supported transport protocol such as NetBEUI

NetBEUI

NetBIOS Frames or NBF protocol is a non-routable network- and transport-level data protocol most commonly used as one of the layers of Microsoft Windows networking in the 1990s. NBF protocol or NetBIOS over IEEE 802.2 LLC is used by a number of network operating systems released in the 1990s, such...

, IPX/SPX

IPX/SPX

IPX/SPX stands for Internetwork Packet Exchange/Sequenced Packet Exchange. IPX and SPX are networking protocols used primarily on networks using the Novell NetWare operating systems.-Protocol Layers:...

 and TCP/IP. Browser service relies heavily on broadcast, so it is not available across network segments separated by routers. Browsing across different IP subnets need the help of Domain Master Browser

Domain Master Browser

As part of the Microsoft Windows Server Operating Systems, the browser service is used to host information of other Windows computers within the same Windows domain or TCP/IP network. Browsing in these terms is specific to viewing network resources within the Windows network such as the available...

, which is always the Primary Domain Controller

Primary Domain Controller

A Primary Domain Controller is a server computer in a Windows domain. A domain is a group of computers , where access to a variety of computer resources is controlled by the PDC. Various account types exist in the domain, the most basic is the "guest" or "anonymous login" account...

 (PDC). Therefore browsing across IP subnets is not possible in a pure workgroup

Workgroup (Computer networking)

A workgroup is Microsoft's terminology for a peer-to-peer Windows computer network.Microsoft operating systems in the same workgroup may allow each other access to their files, printers, or Internet connection...

 network.

In Windows XP

In Windows XP, Computer Browser Service provides backwards compatibility for Windows versions that don't use Active Directory

Active Directory

Active Directory is a directory service created by Microsoft for Windows domain networks. It is included in most Windows Server operating systems. Server computers on which Active Directory is running are called domain controllers....

. For My Network Places

My Network Places

In the Microsoft Windows operating systems, My Network Places is the network browser feature in Windows Explorer from Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows 2000, and Windows Me onwards...

, Windows Explorer

Windows Explorer

This article is about the Windows file system browser. For the similarly named web browser, see Internet ExplorerWindows Explorer is a file manager application that is included with releases of the Microsoft Windows operating system from Windows 95 onwards. It provides a graphical user interface...

, and the net view command, Computer Browser is still needed in XP.

External links

• Microsoft: Description of the Microsoft Computer Browser Service
• Microsoft: Computer Browser Service Technical Reference
• Petri IT Knowledgebase: What’s the Microsoft Computer Browser Service?
• Microsoft: Windows NT Browser Service (Chapter 3 of the Networking Guide of the Windows NT Server Resource Kit; for Windows NT 4.0 servers)
• Microsoft: Troubleshooting the Microsoft Computer Browser Service (on Windows Server 2003
  Windows Server 2003
  Windows Server 2003 is a server operating system produced by Microsoft, introduced on 24 April 2003. An updated version, Windows Server 2003 R2, was released to manufacturing on 6 December 2005...
  
  , Windows 2000
  Windows 2000
  Windows 2000 is a line of operating systems produced by Microsoft for use on personal computers, business desktops, laptops, and servers. Windows 2000 was released to manufacturing on 15 December 1999 and launched to retail on 17 February 2000. It is the successor to Windows NT 4.0, and is the...
  
   and Windows NT 4.0
  Windows NT 4.0
  Windows NT 4.0 is a preemptive, graphical and business-oriented operating system designed to work with either uniprocessor or symmetric multi-processor computers. It was the next release of Microsoft's Windows NT line of operating systems and was released to manufacturing on 31 July 1996...
  
  )