Frequently Asked Questions

Do this release include NDIS 6.0 protocol drivers?

No, this release does not include Rawether NDIS 6 protocol drivers. 

Although Windows Vista and Windows 7 support the "new" NDIS 6 kernel-mode networking architecture, they also provide ongoing support for pre-Vista NDIS 5.X protocol drivers. For operations with Ethernet NICs few customers have compelling reasons to need NDIS 6 protocol drivers.

The Rawether NDIS 5.X protocol drivers, including x64 drivers, are signed for Windows Vista and Windows 7 installation. They can be installed on Windows versions from Windows 2000 through Windows 7.

Why aren't NDIS 6.0 protocol drivers included in this release?

One of the primary goals of this release was to make it as easy as possible to adapt existing Rawether-based applications to install and operate on Windows Vista and Windows 7, as well as prior Windows versions. 

Going further, many Rawether customers do not actually need any of the new performance and functionality offered by NDIS 6.0 protocol drivers. They simply want the product that works on Windows XP to work on Windows 7. 

It was decided to defer the additional complexity of installing NDIS 6.0 protocol drivers until the release of Rawether V6.0.

What happens on upgrade from Windows XP to Windows Vista or Windows 7?

The Rawether Build 1805 NDIS 5 protocol drivers are signed using the methods needed to sign NDIS protocol drivers for Vista. 

This means that if your pre-Vista applications are using signed Rawether Build 1805 NDIS protocol drivers, then the user's upgrade from Windows XP to Windows Vista or Windows 7 should be seamless. Your Rawether-based application will be intact and fully functional on Vista after the upgrade.

This behavior was tested at PCAUSA for upgrades from Windows XP SP2 to Windows Vista RTM. 

If your Rawether-based application is using drivers from a prior Rawether release, then they are not signed for Windows Vista. Your application will not be functional after the upgrade to Windows Vista. 

Of course, there may be reasons unrelated to Rawether that could prevent your application from running on Windows Vista. 

Does this Rawether release include any NDIS 6.0 awareness?

This Rawether includes only trivial NDIS 6.0 awareness. This is limited to: 

This Rawether release uses NDIS definitions from the Platform SDK ntddndis.h header file instead of the legacy PCAUSA W32NDIS.h header. This means that at least some additional NDIS 6 definitions are available to Rawether applications.

Does this version support NDIS requests of Type NdisRequestMethod?

No. NDIS requests using NDIS request type NdisRequestMethod are only supported under NDIS 6.0. This Rawether release employs NDIS 5.0 drivers that do not support this request type. 

How difficult will it be to upgrade my application to use this release?

The key goal of this release is to minimize this effort. 

If you are already using a Rawether V5.5 product, then the main effort is simply to rebuild existing applications using the latest header files and import libraries. 

You will have to expend some effort in revising your product's installer to accommodate the new Windows Vista and Windows 7 security behaviors. 

Finally, you must test your product sufficiently well. Include testing on each supported Windows version. Also test behavior when user upgrades to Windows Vista from prior Windows versions. 

Why is VS 2005 used to build and install the downloadable Rawether sample executables?

Visual Studio 2005 is 64-bit aware. It can be used to build both 64-bit applications and, in conjunction with Windows Installer 3.1, it can be used to create simple Rawether installer that will install on Windows x64 Editions. 

Rawether V5.6 uses Visual Studio 2005 as the tool to build Rawether sample executables and the companion Windows Installers. 

Rawether V5.7 uses Visual Studio 2008 as the tool to build Rawether sample executables and the companion Windows Installers. 

In addition, the Rawether sample executables user-mode components are 32-bit on 32-bit systems and 64-bit on 64-bit systems. 

Does this mean that VS 2005 or VS 2008 must be used to build applications for this Rawether release?

Use of these development tools is a goal of this release. 

Is it necessary to use Windows Installer projects to install Rawether on Windows x64 editions?

No, you can use whatever installer technology you choose as long as you install the Rawether components in the specified locations and create the necessary registry settings (as illustrated in the sample Windows Installer projects provided with Rawether...). 

Can Rawether 32-bit applications be used on Windows x64 editions?

Rawether 32-bit applications can run successfully on both Windows 32-bit editions and Windows 64-bit editions. 

On Windows x64 editions only the Rawether NDIS protocol driver must be a 64-bit executables. 

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Last modified: January 01, 2012