Windows 7 / Networking

Improved Peer Networking

Windows Peer-to-Peer Networking, originally introduced with the Advanced Networking Pack for Windows XP and later included in Windows XP SP2, is an operating system platform and API in Windows Vista and Windows 7 that allow the development of peer-to-peer (P2P) applications that do not require a server. Windows Vista and Windows 7 include the following enhancements to Windows Peer-to-Peer Networking:

  • New, easy-to-use API APIs to access Windows Peer-to-Peer Networking capabilities such as name resolution, group creation, and security have been highly simplified in Windows Vista and Windows 7, making it easier for developers to create P2P applications.
  • New version of PNRP Peer Name Resolution Protocol (PNRP) is a name resolution protocol, like DNS, that functions without a server. PNRP uniquely identifies computers within a peer cloud. Windows Vista and Windows 7 include a new version of PNRP (PNRP v2) that is more scalable and uses less network bandwidth. For PNRP v2 in Windows Vista and Windows 7, Windows Peer-to-Peer Networking applications can access PNRP name publication and resolution functions through a simplified PNRP API that supports the standard name resolution methods used by applications. For IPv6 addresses, applications can use the getaddrinfo() function to resolve the fully qualified domain name (FQDN) name.prnp.net, in which name is the peer name being resolved. The pnrp.net domain is a reserved domain for PNRP name resolution. The PNRP v2 protocol is incompatible with the PNRP protocol used by computers running Windows XP. Microsoft is investigating the development and release of an update to the Windows Peer-to-Peer Networking features in Windows XP to support PNRP v2.
  • People Near Me People Near Me is a new capability of Windows Peer-to-Peer Networking that allows users to dynamically discover other users on the local subnet and their registered People Near Me-capable applications, as well as to invite users into a collaboration activity easily. The invitation and its acceptance start an application on the invited user's computer, and the two applications can begin participating in a collaboration activity such as chatting, photo sharing, or game playing.

PNRP v2 is not backward compatible with earlier versions of the protocol. Although PNRP v2 can coexist on a network with earlier versions, it cannot communicate with PNRP v1 clients.

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In this tutorial:

  1. Configuring Windows Networking
  2. Usability Improvements
  3. Network And Sharing Center
  4. Network Explorer
  5. How Windows Finds Network Resources
  6. How Windows Publishes Network Resources
  7. How Windows Creates the Network Map
  8. Network Map
  9. Set Up A Connection Or Network Wizard
  10. Manageability Improvements
  11. Network Location Types
  12. Policy-Based QoS
  13. Selecting DSCP Values
  14. Planning Traffic Throttling
  15. Configuring QoS Policies
  16. Configuring System-Wide QoS Settings
  17. Configuring Advanced QoS Settings
  18. Testing QoS
  19. Windows Firewall and IPsec
  20. Windows Connect Now in Windows 7
  21. Core Networking Improvements
  22. Networking BranchCache
  23. How Hosted Cache Works
  24. How Distributed Cache Works
  25. Configuring BranchCache
  26. BranchCache Protocols
  27. File Sharing Using SMB
  28. Web Browsing with HTTP (Including HTTPS)
  29. DNSsec
  30. GreenIT
  31. Efficient Networking
  32. What Causes Latency, How to Measure It, and How to Control It
  33. TCP Receive Window Scaling
  34. Scalable Networking
  35. Improved Reliability
  36. IPv6 Support
  37. 802.1X Network Authentication
  38. Server Message Block (SMB) 2.0
  39. Strong Host Model
  40. Wireless Networking
  41. Improved APIs
  42. Network Awareness
  43. Improved Peer Networking
  44. Services Used by Peer-to-Peer Networking
  45. Managing Peer-to-Peer Networking
  46. Peer-to-Peer Name Resolution
  47. EAP Host Architecture
  48. Layered Service Provider (LSP)
  49. Windows Sockets Direct Path for System Area Networks
  50. How to Configure Wireless Settings
  51. Configuring Wireless Settings Manually
  52. Using Group Policy to Configure Wireless Settings
  53. How to Configure TCP/IP
  54. DHCP
  55. Configuring IP Addresses Manually
  56. Command Line and Scripts
  57. How to Connect to AD DS Domains
  58. How to Connect to a Domain When 802.1X Authentication Is Not Enabled
  59. How to Connect to a Domain When 802.1X Authentication Is Enabled