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The Microsoft Windows versions use a network protocol called NetBIOS/NetBEUI. These protocols are designed by IBM and Microsoft for small LANs. Since these protocols are non-routable, they are not suitable for Wide Area Networks.
NetBIOS Extended User Interface (NetBEUI) is an extended version of NetBIOS, that lets computers communicate within a local area network. It is the Microsoft implementation of the NetBIOS standard. NetBEUI formalizes the frame format that was not specified as part of NetBIOS. NetBEUI protocol may sometimes be called the NetBIOS frame (NBF) protocol.
NetBEUI works at the Transport and Network layers for local area network (LAN). NetBEUI provides data transportation but it is not a routable transport protocol. NetBEUI is a good performance choice for communication within a single LAN. For inter-network routing, its interface must be adapted to other protocols such as Inter-network Packet Exchange (IPX) or TCP/IP. Very often, both NetBEUI and TCP/IP are installed in each computer and the server is set up to use NetBEUI for communication within the LAN and TCP/IP for communication beyond the LAN.
