Overview: The Network Application Programmer Interface (API)

 Last reviewed: September 18, 1996
Article ID: Q103882
The network application programmer interface (API) is provided to allow applications to access and control network resources programmatically, and to communicate between processes running on different stations.

EXAMPLES

  • NetUseAdd: redirects a local device identifier to a shared network resource.
  • NetShareAdd: shares a server resource.
  • NetWkstaSetUID2: logs on to the network.
  • NetServerEnum2: obtains a list of all servers of specified type(s) that are active in specified domain(s).
  • DosMakeNmPipe: creates a "named pipe"--a two-way inter-process communication device that can be used to communicate directly from a process on one station to a process on another without using the file system.

Most network API calls go directly to the redirector. Some (such as NetUseAdd) go to MS-DOS by way of interrupt x21, which may, in turn, pass the request to the redirector.

The redirector resolves some API calls (such as NetServerEnum2) locally, without having to access the network. For other API calls (such as NetUseAdd and NetWkstaSetUID2) the redirector uses the server message block (SMB) protocol to communicate with remote stations in order to effect resolution.

KBCategory: kbnetwork
KBSubCategory: msna



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Last reviewed: September 18, 1996
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