Is it possible to write a user-mode NDIS miniport driver

Don
Wed Sep 07 13:46:40 CDT 2005

No, at present it is hard to write anything but printers in user-mode. In
the future Microsoft will be supporting the User Mode Driver Framework, but
as far as I know this does not include NDIS.


--
Don Burn (MVP, Windows DDK)
Windows 2k/XP/2k3 Filesystem and Driver Consulting
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"ning" <ning@newsgroup.nospam> wrote in message
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Thomas
Wed Sep 07 13:51:50 CDT 2005

No, you cannot write a user-mode NDIS driver.

However, you can write a kernel-mode NDIS protocol driver that has an IOCTL
interface to a user-mode application. In certain situations this combination
can be effective.

One can start by looking at the DDK "NDISPROT" sample as well as "WinPCap"
on the Internet (search Google).

The "Rawether Tour" at http://www.rawether.net may also be helpful.

Good luck,

Thomas F. Divine, Windows DDK MVP
http://www.rawether.net

"ning" <ning@newsgroup.nospam> wrote in message
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Calvin
Thu Sep 08 02:10:42 CDT 2005

Wiping sweat off my forehead... I'm not gonna lose my job anytime soon:).

However, in Longhorn, LDDM (native LH) Display Drivers(d3d,OGL) are in user
mode. Miniport remains in kernel mode but architecturally, it's quite
different .

--
Calvin Guan (Windows DDK MVP)
NetXtreme Longhorn Miniport Prime
Broadcom Corp. www.broadcom.com

"Don Burn" <burn@stopspam.acm.org> wrote in message
news:O0t4Dy9sFHA.1256@TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl...
> No, at present it is hard to write anything but printers in user-mode. In
> the future Microsoft will be supporting the User Mode Driver Framework,
> but as far as I know this does not include NDIS.
>
>
> --
> Don Burn (MVP, Windows DDK)
> Windows 2k/XP/2k3 Filesystem and Driver Consulting
> Remove StopSpam from the email to reply
>
>
>
> "ning" <ning@newsgroup.nospam> wrote in message
> news:%2356qiu9sFHA.3040@TK2MSFTNGP14.phx.gbl...
>>
>>
>
>

fat_boy
Thu Sep 08 05:53:59 CDT 2005

I wouldnt worry about that, a user mode driver will always have a
performance defecit compared to a kernel driver. MS moved the graphics
to the kernel for NT 4 (NT3.5 had a user mode driver)

ning
Thu Sep 08 07:51:44 CDT 2005

Thanks for the info. I am writing a "virtual" miniport that functions as a
VPN adapter. A lot of process will occur in user space in any case so I am
not really worried about performance too much. I actually installed Longhorn
beta 1 and I saw the OS comes with a "tun" and a "tap" adapter. Does anyone
know what these are about? Does MS intend to give people a pre-installed
virtual adapters for VPN software??

ning

"fat_boy" <m.sykes@option.com> wrote in message
news:1126176839.723585.85950@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
>I wouldnt worry about that, a user mode driver will always have a
> performance defecit compared to a kernel driver. MS moved the graphics
> to the kernel for NT 4 (NT3.5 had a user mode driver)
>

Don
Thu Sep 08 07:58:55 CDT 2005

You might look at the PCIDRV sample in the latest DDK. It is a mini-port
that talks to a WDM driver. You could modify the WDM driver to communicate
with user space (take some care here).


--
Don Burn (MVP, Windows DDK)
Windows 2k/XP/2k3 Filesystem and Driver Consulting
Remove StopSpam from the email to reply



"ning" <ning@newsgroup.nospam> wrote in message
news:OcjiXQHtFHA.2064@TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl...
> Thanks for the info. I am writing a "virtual" miniport that functions as a
> VPN adapter. A lot of process will occur in user space in any case so I am
> not really worried about performance too much. I actually installed
> Longhorn beta 1 and I saw the OS comes with a "tun" and a "tap" adapter.
> Does anyone know what these are about? Does MS intend to give people a
> pre-installed virtual adapters for VPN software??
>
> ning
>
> "fat_boy" <m.sykes@option.com> wrote in message
> news:1126176839.723585.85950@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
>>I wouldnt worry about that, a user mode driver will always have a
>> performance defecit compared to a kernel driver. MS moved the graphics
>> to the kernel for NT 4 (NT3.5 had a user mode driver)
>>
>
>

Maxim
Thu Sep 08 19:58:10 CDT 2005

> I wouldnt worry about that, a user mode driver will always have a
> performance defecit compared to a kernel driver.

Some drivers can be loaded per-process. For them, there are no reasons to be
kernel drivers - just a DLL is fine.

Also, UMDF is for low-bandwidth devices like HID or such.

>MS moved the graphics
> to the kernel for NT 4 (NT3.5 had a user mode driver)

Graphics engine cannot be per-process, since the desktop is shared across all
processes.

So, there are only 2 models of implementing a graphics server:
- in the kernel
- in the server process governed by LPCs from clients

The second way is used in UNIXen and was used in NT 3.x, but it is slow.
Syscall is faster then an IPC, thus the move of the graphics engine to the
kernel in NT4.

--
Maxim Shatskih, Windows DDK MVP
StorageCraft Corporation
maxim@storagecraft.com
http://www.storagecraft.com