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Application Compatibility: Networking: Kernel-Mode IP Helper APIs

Networking: Kernel-Mode IP Helper APIs

Feature Impact

High

Brief Description

In prior releases of Windows®, Winsock clients did not have an API set to access the kernel, which has changed in Windows Vista® and Windows Server® 2008. Also, Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 now support IPv6 by default. Instead of providing separate APIs for IPv4 and IPv6, a new Helper API set has been designed to provide a common functionality across all the new technologies, as follows:

  • Kernel-mode functions for Windows Sockets in Kernel (WSK) clients

  • IPv6 support

  • Single set of functions for IPv4 and IPv6 addressing

  • Provides a consistent, extensible object model

  • Provides a well-defined security model based on the network service interface

  • Exposes new stack functionality, such as compartments and sub-interfaces

Manifestation

Applications using the older Helper APIs or undocumented kernel function calls will fail to function and might become unstable.

Remedies

Applications need to support and implement the new kernel-mode IP Helper APIs.

See Also

Concepts

Application Compatibility