The Windows network functions allow an application to implement networking capabilities without making allowances for a particular network provider or physical network implementation; that is, these functions are network-independent. Applications can use these functions to add and cancel network connections and to retrieve information about the current configuration of the network. In addition, Windows implements a version of the IBM Netbios network interface, for applications that require this interface.
Additional network services are available through the Windows implementations of mailslots and named pipes. For more information about these subjects, see Chapter 15, “Mailslots” and Chapter 14, “Pipes.”
The following diagram shows the structure of a typical network:
Net Hierarchy
In the preceding diagram, the hierarchy for Microsoft LAN Manager resources is given in detail. Network resources from other providers have different hierarchical systems. An application does not need information about the hierarchy before it begins to work with a network; the application can proceed from the network root and retrieve information about the network resources as the information is required.
Resources that contain other resources are called containers; container resources are in boxes in the preceding diagram. Resources that do not contain other resources are objects; Sharepoint #1 and Sharepoint #2 in the diagram are objects.