I wrote "the WINS server keeps track of up to 25 IPs for the <1C> group name", but that's not correct.

WINS (and WINS-compatible NBNSs) return a maximum of 25 IPs per Internet Group name when queried, but that doesn't mean that the WINS database only stores 25 IPs. The number of IP addresses stored per name is implementation-specific. It makes sense, however, to store all of the IPs so that they can be reported if other members of the group release the name.

Here are some further references on Microsoft's handling of <1C> Internet Group and Domain Group names:

• Locating Domain Controllers using NetBIOS over TCP/IP (NetBT)

  Provides a nice overview of Domain Group (<1C>) handling.

• Microsoft Knowledge Base Article #251067

  Search through the article for the descriptions of the "Randomize1cList" and "MemberPrecedence" registry parameters.

Also:

Samba Team member Jerry Carter pointed out that, as of version 3.0.5, Samba does not sort the IP address of the DMB/PDC to the top of the <1C> list. This is a minor compatibility bug which may or may not be fixed.