This section discusses how to use the Windows Sockets 2 API with the IPX family of protocols. Traditionally, the Windows Sockets 1.x specification has been used with the IP family of protocols such as TCP and UDP. However, with the advent of Windows Sockets 2, the API has been updated to more easily access a wide range of transport and network types. The Windows Sockets 2 API is sufficiently generic that programmers need to know very little about the specifics of the IPX/SPX implementation. However, if you are moving traditional IPX applications to Windows Sockets or desire more knowledge of the IPX/SPX implementation, this appendix is for you. Be aware that IPX networks operate differently than IP networks, and some consideration of this fact will most likely be evident in your code.
IPX/SPX features are defined in the header file wsipx.h.