Next Generation TCP/IP Stack

The Next Generation TCP/IP Stack in Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 is a complete redesign of TCP/IP functionality for both Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4) and Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) that meets the connectivity and performance needs of today's varied networking environments and technologies.

Introductory Overviews

• Next Generation TCP/IP Stack in Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008
  This article describes the new features and architecture of the Next Generation TCP/IP Stack.
• Enhanced Network Performance with Microsoft Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008
  This white paper of a third-party benchmark study done by The Tolly Group compares network throughput and time-to-completion of several tasks when using Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2003, and Windows Server 2008.
• Performance Enhancements in the Next Generation TCP/IP Stack
  This article describes the performance enhancements of the Next Generation TCP/IP Stack that increase throughput in high-bandwidth, high-latency, and high-loss networking environments.
• Changes to IPv6 in Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008
  This article describes the new features of IPv6 and the Teredo transition technology in the Next Generation TCP/IP stack.

Technical Resources

• Windows Server 2008 TCP/IP Protocols and Services
  This book from Microsoft Press provides in-depth coverage of TCP/IP and related network infrastructure protocols in Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008.
• TCP/IP Registry Values for Microsoft Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008
  This white paper lists and describes the registry values for the Next Generation TCP/IP Stack.
• TCP Receive Window Auto-Tuning
  This article in TechNet Magazine describes the TCP receive window and how Windows Vista uses TCP Receive Window Auto-Tuning to optimize TCP throughput for received data.
• Explicit Congestion Notification (ECN) for TCP/IP
  This article describes how ECN helps prevent packet losses due to congestion in a network.
• Link-Local Multicast Name Resolution
  This article describes how the Link-Local Multicast Name Resolution (LLMNR) protocol provides name resolution for computer names on a subnet without a Domain Name System (DNS) server.
• Strong and Weak Host Models
  This article in TechNet Magazine describes the strong and weak host models for IPv4 and IPv6 hosts and how it works for the Next Generation TCP/IP Stack.

Scalable Networking Resources

• Scalable Networking: Network Protocol Offload—Introducing TCP Chimney
  This white paper describes the new network protocol offload capabilities for the Microsoft Windows family of operating systems. For independent hardware vendors (IHVs), it details the new Chimney architecture for full TCP offload.
• Scalable Networking with Receive-side Scaling
  This white paper describes the details about how Receive-side Scaling makes it possible to improve multiprocessor computer performance by dynamically load-balancing incoming traffic across multiple processors.

Development Resources

• Windows Core Networking Blog
  This blog contains postings describing the various technologies and APIs for Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008, written by Windows core networking product team members.
• Windows Filtering Platform
  This article describes the new platform and API for packet filtering and modification so that independent software vendors (ISVs) can create firewalls, antivirus software, diagnostic software, and other types of applications and services.

Webcasts and Videos

• Next-Generation Networking with Windows Server 2008
  This webcast describes the next generation of networking features in Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008. Receive guidance on how to prepare for the enhanced performance, scalability, and manageability features coming in the next releases of Windows.
• Networking in Windows Vista
  This video, recorded by members of the TCP/IP development team at Microsoft, describes and demonstrates the Next Generation TCP/IP Stack in Windows Vista.

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