 - Like Winsock, Winsock 2 is a programming interface and the supporting program that handles input/output requests for Internet applications in a Windows operating system. It's called Winsock because it's an adaptation for Windows of the Berkeley Unix sockets interface. sockets is a particular convention for connecting with and exchanging data between two program processes. Winsock 2 is a 32-bit version of Winsock.
Winsock 2 runs between an application program such as a Web browser and the program in your computer that handles TCP/IP. A request flows in the following order:
Web browser or other application
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ws2-32.dll (Winsock 2)
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Layers for TCP/IP (or certain other protocols)
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Modem or network card
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The Internet and destination
Winsock 2 offers these advantages over Winsock:
- In addition to TCP/IP, it provides an interface to a variety of protocols, including IPX/SPX, ISDN and wireless protocols.
- An application can request multicast and other protocol services not supported by Winsock 1.1.
- It offers access to multiple name spaces.
- It offers an application the possibility of choosing services based on cost.
Winsock 2 is included in the latest versions of the Windows operating systems.
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13 Jul 2001
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