[comp.dcom.lans] NDIS mailing list/developers conference

mshiels@tmsoft.uucp (Michael A. Shiels) (02/05/91)

Is there an NDIS developers conference/mailing list anywhere?  Would we like
to create one if there isn't one.  I am starting to look into NDIS drivers
and protocol stacks and would like to have a forum for questions/answers.

Here's the first question!

Is it possible to have protocol stacks which are running providing the netbios
connection for LANMAN and at the same time run a Packet watcher with it getting
a copy of ALL packets including the ones sent to the other protocol stack.

What I have created is a driver which does nothing until the packet watcher 
loads up and then it dynamically repoints the code to NDIS protocol handling
code in the packet watcher.

leo@unipalm.uucp (E.J. Leoni-Smith) (02/07/91)

mshiels@tmsoft.uucp (Michael A. Shiels) writes:

>Is there an NDIS developers conference/mailing list anywhere?  Would we like
>to create one if there isn't one.  I am starting to look into NDIS drivers
>and protocol stacks and would like to have a forum for questions/answers.

Maybe a newsgroup?
I certainly would like more info and feedback on these drivers - many of
the ones we see are definitely - er - flaky?

>Here's the first question!

>Is it possible to have protocol stacks which are running providing the netbios
>connection for LANMAN and at the same time run a Packet watcher with it getting
>a copy of ALL packets including the ones sent to the other protocol stack.

As I understand it NDIS is a token passing protocol - so all incoming packets 
get passed around . I don't know whether all packets go to all stacks tho. Or
if a packet is claimed, whether the driver then doesn't offer it further.
I should dig oput those NDIS specs...

douglass@davidsys.com (02/07/91)

In article <1991Feb6.221425.6029@unipalm.uucp>, leo@unipalm.uucp (E.J. Leoni-Smith) writes:
> mshiels@tmsoft.uucp (Michael A. Shiels) writes:
>
>[ ... ] 
> 
> As I understand it NDIS is a token passing protocol - so all incoming packets 
> get passed around . I don't know whether all packets go to all stacks tho. Or
> if a packet is claimed, whether the driver then doesn't offer it further.
> I should dig oput those NDIS specs...

Almost.  
NDIS specifies that the driver pass around the packet (or just part of it
[called lookahead]) until a protocol accepts it.
I believe that once it's accepted, it cannot be unaccepted.
Conversely, if some protocol accepts it before yours sees it, you'll
miss it. 

-- 
-{JD}-  Jeff (douglass@davidsys.com)
/*   My opinions are my own.  Who else would want them?   */
    "Never count on the inevitable until it happens. . ."
    "So therefore a pointer to dev/nul (the nul device) is a NULL pointer?"