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Networking: Kernel-Mode IP Helper APIs
Feature Impact
High
Brief Description
In prior releases of Windows®, Winsock clients did not have an API set to access the kernel, which has changed in Windows Vista® and Windows Server® 2008. Also, Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 now support IPv6 by default. Instead of providing separate APIs for IPv4 and IPv6, a new Helper API set has been designed to provide a common functionality across all the new technologies, as follows:
Kernel-mode functions for Windows Sockets in Kernel (WSK) clients
IPv6 support
Single set of functions for IPv4 and IPv6 addressing
Provides a consistent, extensible object model
Provides a well-defined security model based on the network service interface
Exposes new stack functionality, such as compartments and sub-interfaces
Manifestation
Applications using the older Helper APIs or undocumented kernel function calls will fail to function and might become unstable.
Remedies
Applications need to support and implement the new kernel-mode IP Helper APIs.