Let me talk about my personal understanding of NDIS and Packet drivers.
Both NDIS and Packet are network card drivers.
The Packet - type driver is relatively simple. Generally, it is an executable file. For example, the Packet driver of the 8139 network card is "RtsPkt.com". You can directly run "RtsPkt.com 0x60" in the command prompt to load the driver into memory for application programs to use. "0x60" is the interrupt number. Of course, some other parameters can also be added, such as speed, bus number, device number, etc. On the Realtek website, the Packet driver is classified under the UNIX system, and I don't know the details specifically.
And the NDIS driver is more complex. Generally, it is not a directly executable program. For example, the NDIS driver of the 8139 network card is "RtsNd.dos", and there is also a configuration file "Protocol.ini" which is used to set some specific parameters, such as the driver name, network card speed, which network card on the bus to drive when there are multiple network cards, etc. There are some other files, but they are not the key. Generally, they are used when the application program using this driver installs this driver. There are multiple versions of NDIS drivers, from NDIS1 to NDIS5. The NDIS - type driver is more advanced than the Packet - type driver, so Microsoft uses the NDIS - type driver in the WINDOWS system. The commonly used one in DOS is the NDIS2 driver, and from 98 to Xp, the NDIS5 driver is generally used. For loading the NDIS driver, one way is to load it in the CONFIG.SYS file. For example, the IBM DOS network client software uses this way. Another way is that the application program itself calls the driver file for loading. For example, the Microsoft DOS network client software calls the.dos file to load the driver when running the Net.exe program.
Because there is no unified network card driver under DOS, different applications use different types of drivers. So you need to load the corresponding network card driver program according to the type of driver used by the specific application you are running. It is not like under WINDOWS where as long as the network card driver is loaded once, all applications can use the network.
Most network programs under DOS use the Packet driver, of course, because the Packet driver is relatively simple. For example, the network cloning function of GHOST uses the Packet driver. So as long as the Packet driver of the network card is loaded before running GHOST, the network cloning function can be used in GHOST. The FTP.EXE program also uses the Packet driver.
The typical software using the NDIS2 driver is the Microsoft DOS network client software. The IBM DOS network client software also uses the NDIS2 driver.
Let's talk about the "Dis_Pkt.dos" program. Because the Microsoft WINDOWS system uniformly uses the NDIS - type driver, some network card manufacturers no longer develop the Packet - type driver under DOS. For example, Intel's Pro 100, Pro1000 network cards, Broadcom network cards, etc., which are widely used, have no Packet driver but have NDIS2 drivers. To solve this problem, a compromise solution is provided. That is, converting the NDIS2 driver into a Packet driver, which is the function of the "Dis_Pkt.dos" program. As long as you drive the NDIS2 driver of the network card, and then through the "Dis_Pkt.dos" program, you can provide a Packet driver for the application program.
[ Last edited by LanCat on 2006-9-21 at 19:14 ]
Both NDIS and Packet are network card drivers.
The Packet - type driver is relatively simple. Generally, it is an executable file. For example, the Packet driver of the 8139 network card is "RtsPkt.com". You can directly run "RtsPkt.com 0x60" in the command prompt to load the driver into memory for application programs to use. "0x60" is the interrupt number. Of course, some other parameters can also be added, such as speed, bus number, device number, etc. On the Realtek website, the Packet driver is classified under the UNIX system, and I don't know the details specifically.
And the NDIS driver is more complex. Generally, it is not a directly executable program. For example, the NDIS driver of the 8139 network card is "RtsNd.dos", and there is also a configuration file "Protocol.ini" which is used to set some specific parameters, such as the driver name, network card speed, which network card on the bus to drive when there are multiple network cards, etc. There are some other files, but they are not the key. Generally, they are used when the application program using this driver installs this driver. There are multiple versions of NDIS drivers, from NDIS1 to NDIS5. The NDIS - type driver is more advanced than the Packet - type driver, so Microsoft uses the NDIS - type driver in the WINDOWS system. The commonly used one in DOS is the NDIS2 driver, and from 98 to Xp, the NDIS5 driver is generally used. For loading the NDIS driver, one way is to load it in the CONFIG.SYS file. For example, the IBM DOS network client software uses this way. Another way is that the application program itself calls the driver file for loading. For example, the Microsoft DOS network client software calls the.dos file to load the driver when running the Net.exe program.
Because there is no unified network card driver under DOS, different applications use different types of drivers. So you need to load the corresponding network card driver program according to the type of driver used by the specific application you are running. It is not like under WINDOWS where as long as the network card driver is loaded once, all applications can use the network.
Most network programs under DOS use the Packet driver, of course, because the Packet driver is relatively simple. For example, the network cloning function of GHOST uses the Packet driver. So as long as the Packet driver of the network card is loaded before running GHOST, the network cloning function can be used in GHOST. The FTP.EXE program also uses the Packet driver.
The typical software using the NDIS2 driver is the Microsoft DOS network client software. The IBM DOS network client software also uses the NDIS2 driver.
Let's talk about the "Dis_Pkt.dos" program. Because the Microsoft WINDOWS system uniformly uses the NDIS - type driver, some network card manufacturers no longer develop the Packet - type driver under DOS. For example, Intel's Pro 100, Pro1000 network cards, Broadcom network cards, etc., which are widely used, have no Packet driver but have NDIS2 drivers. To solve this problem, a compromise solution is provided. That is, converting the NDIS2 driver into a Packet driver, which is the function of the "Dis_Pkt.dos" program. As long as you drive the NDIS2 driver of the network card, and then through the "Dis_Pkt.dos" program, you can provide a Packet driver for the application program.
[ Last edited by LanCat on 2006-9-21 at 19:14 ]
