Service Providers

The DirectPlay object is a common interface to the application for session, player, and group management, data management and propagation, and lobby services for locating other players on a network.

Service providers furnish network-specific communications services as requested by DirectPlay. A service provider can simply be a layer between DirectPlay and an existing transport like Windows Sockets, or it can use specialized resources on an online service such as multicast servers, enhanced quality of service, or billing services.

Microsoft includes four generic service providers with DirectPlay: head-to-head modem (TAPI), serial connection, Internet TCP/IP (using Windows Sockets), and IPX (also using Windows Sockets). Online services and network operators can supply other service providers.

DirectPlay hides the complexities and unique tasks required to establish a communications link inside the service provider implementation. An application using DirectPlay need only concern itself with the performance and capabilities of the virtual network presented by DirectPlay. It need not know whether a modem, network card, or online service is providing the medium.

DirectPlay will dynamically bind to any DirectPlay provider installed on the user's system. The application interacts with the DirectPlay object. The DirectPlay object interacts with one of the available DirectPlay service providers, and the selected service provider interacts with the transport, protocol, and other network resources.