Microsoft DirectX 8.0 (Visual Basic)

Using the DirectPlay DPNSVR Application

Microsoft Windows does not allow multiple processes to share a single IP or IPX port. Each application that wants to act as a communication host must use a separate port. This restriction creates several issues, especially when doing such tasks as enumerating running games:

The DPNSVR application addresses these issues by acting as a forwarding service for enumeration requests. When an application begins hosting, it informs DPNSVR which port it is running on. DPNSVR listens on a well-known port, and forwards any enumeration requests to all Microsoft® DirectPlay® hosts on the system. Responses to enumeration requests contain the actual port that the host is connected to. DPNSVR offers developers the following advantages:

While most applications will want to use the services of DPNSVR, there are some circumstances where you may want to disable it. Two examples are:

For more information, see How to Use DPNSVR.