NetBIOSfriendly

NetBIOSfriendly is a term used in IT documentation to describe systems, devices, or configurations that maintain compatibility with NetBIOS-based networking while coexisting with modern DNS/IP networks. The concept centers on preserving the ability of legacy clients and services to perform NetBIOS name resolution and session services even as networks increasingly rely on DNS and SMB over TCP/IP.

NetBIOS, or Network Basic Input/Output System, provides naming and session services for early Windows networks. In practice, NetBIOS names can be resolved through WINS, LMHOSTS files, or NetBIOS over TCP/IP (NetBT). Modern networks typically rely on DNS for name resolution and SMB over TCP/IP for file and printer sharing, but many environments still include older clients and servers that depend on NetBIOS mechanisms. A NetBIOSfriendly configuration aims to support these legacy components without hindering contemporary network operations.

Technically, NetBIOSfriendly deployments may involve enabling NetBIOS over TCP/IP on network adapters, configuring WINS servers or LMHOSTS mappings, and ensuring that UDP ports 137–138 and TCP port 139 are accessible within trusted segments. It often pairs with careful segmentation, monitoring, and firewall policies to limit exposure of NetBIOS traffic to appropriate subnets. In some cases, administrators selectively disable NetBIOS where it is unnecessary to reduce risk.

Usage and considerations: The term is descriptive rather than standardized, used to denote environments that require backward compatibility for file sharing and name resolution with older Windows components. Security considerations emphasize limiting NetBIOS exposure, steering traffic through secured segments, and using modern DNS/SRV-based discovery for non-critical workloads.