The DirectPlay functions are used to initiate communication through the DirectPlay interface. The DirectPlayCreate function is used to instantiate a DirectPlay object for a particular service provider. The DirectPlayEnumerate function is used to obtain a list of all the DirectPlay service providers installed on the system. This is the mechanism DirectPlay uses to support multiple communication transports and protocols. To utilize protocol-independent communication services, your application need only select a specific service provider and instantiate it.