Appendix D - Windows Sockets

The Windows Sockets application programming interface (API) provides a standard Windows interface to many transports (protocols) with different addressing schemes such as TCP/IP and IPX. The Windows Sockets API is designed to provide a programming standard for all platforms.

Windows Sockets is a programming interface based on the familiar "socket" interface from the University of California at Berkeley. Windows Sockets is an industry standard used by software developers and is part of the public Windows Open Systems Architecture (WOSA).

This appendix provides the following information about Windows Sockets:

• An overview of Windows Sockets as implemented in Windows NT Server and Windows NT Workstation

• A description of Windows Sockets programs from third-party vendors that support cross-platform computing.
• A list of TCP/IP utilities compliant with Windows Sockets.

• Instructions for developers on how to obtain the latest information, specifications, and sample programs needed to develop Windows Sockets compliant programs for the Microsoft family of 32-bit and 16-bit Windows operating systems.

The information in this appendix supersedes information about TCP/IP and the Windows Sockets API in the following sources:

• Chapter 10, "Overview of Microsoft TCP/IP for Windows NT," and Appendix A, "TCP/IP Utilities Reference," of the Windows NT Networking Guide, Volume 1

• Chapter 1, "Overview of Microsoft TCP/IP," and Chapter 11 "Utilities Reference," of the TCP/IP book for Microsoft Windows NT Server