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- DirectPlay 5.0 Release Notes:
-
- 1. Security and Authentication
- ------------------------------
- In order to host a secure DirectPlay session using the default security
- provider (NTLM), you will need to host it on NT 4.0 (Workstation or Server).
- Clients may use either NT or Windows 95. Instructions for installing
- DirectPlay on NT are provided below.
-
- Accounts will need to created on the NT system that is hosting the
- session. This can be done using the "User Manager for Domains" in the
- Administrative Tools program group. If the NT system hosting the session
- is already logged into a domain then accounts on the domain may also be
- used.
-
- If the client machine is already logged into the NT domain, an application
- will not need to supply credentials when connecting to a secure DirectPlay
- session. Otherwise, credentials will need to supplied by the application
- using IDirectPlay3::SecureOpen()
-
- Security may only be used in client/server sessions.
-
- Installing DirectPlay 5 on NT 4.0 with SP3
- ------------------------------------------
- NOTE: These instructions are being given for testing purposes only. This
- must not be used to ship products using DirectPlay v5 that wish to run on
- NT. Consult the DirectX web site - http:://www.microsoft.com/DirectX for an
- official installation program for DirectPlay.
-
- 1. Copy the DirectPlay DLLs to the WinNT/System32 directory. These DLLs
- are: dplaysvr.exe, dplayx.dll, dpwsockx.dll, dpmodemx.dll
-
- 2. Add the registry entries needed for DirectPlay. The file
- DPLAYNT.REG on the SDK CD in the \extras\dplay directory will do this
- for you. Simply double-click on this file to install it.
-
- 3. You are now ready to host a secure session on your NT 4.0 machine.
- Be sure to specify the DPSESSION_SECURESERVER flag in the DPSESSIONDESC2
- structure when you create the session.
-
-
-
- 2. Stricter Parameter Validation
- --------------------------------
- Stricter parameter validation has been added to DirectPlay to trap cases
- where applications set unused bits in flags. Code that may have worked
- before under previous versions of DirectPlay may now return an error if
- invalid bits are set in flags parameters.
-
- Methods which take structures MUST have the dwSize member filled in with the
- correct size of the structure - sizeof(STRUCTURE) - or an invalid parameter
- error will be returned. This is so that DirectPlay can tell what version of
- a structure is being requested by the application. CreatePlayer is a
- function that is now doing this.
-
- In most cases, the most helpful way to determine what the problem is with
- invalid parameter errors is to run the application using DEBUG versions of
- the DirectX DLLs and watch the debug output. It will usually give a message
- indicating what the problem was.
-
-
- 3. Sample Lobby Server
- ----------------------
-
- Included on the SDK is a sample lobby server and lobby client that use
- the DirectPlay APIs and the lobby provider architecture. Consult the
- README.TXT in the DXSDK\SDK\SAMPLES\BELLHOP directory for instructions on
- setting this up.
-
- 4. DirectPlay Bug Fixes
- -----------------------
- Many bugs reported in DirectPlay3 have been fixed in DirectPlay5. These
- fixes will work for any application compiled with the DX3 SDK but where
- the DX5 runtime is installed on the system.
-
- - Two or more clients can now join a session simultaneously without losing
- any players
- - Attempting to host a second session on a machine using IPX will now return
- an error
- - Attempting to set the name or remote data on a player or group you don't
- own will now result in a DPERR_ACCESSDENIED message.
- - Attempting to enumerate sessions a second time using the modem service
- provider will no longer return a "Line Already In Use" error,
- - IDirectPlayLobby2::Connect() now connects to a remote session much faster
- - All service providers now return DPERR_USERCANCEL if the user cancelled
- the service provider dialog
- - DDHELP.EXE no longer statically linked the wsock32.dll so you don't need
- to have Winsock installed to run a DirectDraw only application
- - Group management functions that used to return DPERR_INVALIDPLAYER now
- return DPERR_INVALIDGROUP
- - DirectPlay now returns an error if the IPX binding from the network adapter
- on Windows 95
- - Opening and closing a session on the same instance of a DirectPlay interface
- now works
- - The modem service provider will prompt for a phone number each time a
- new interface is created
- - EnumSessions will return password protected sessions without having to
- supply the password in advance
-
- 5. General Notes
- ----------------
-
- -- You can find out the IP address of your machine on Windows 95 by running
- "winipcfg". On NT use "ipconfig"
-
- If you have a net card and a modem installed, you will need to make
- sure you read the IP address of the modem connection to the Internet.
- The IP address information for the modem will typically show up under
- "PPP Adapter".
-
- -- The IPX service provider will not cross routers.
-
- -- The IPX, modem and serial service providers do not implement guaranteed
- messaging.
-
-
-
- 6. Known Limitations
- --------------------
-
- Many of these limitations will be corrected in a future release of
- DirectPlay. Consult the DirectX web site - http:://www.microsoft.com/DirectX
- for updated information.
-
- -- There is no multi-home support for IPX. Use TCP/IP if multi-homing
- is needed.
-
- -- DirectPlay generally will not work through proxies and firewalls.
-
- -- If a player drops out of the session due to a lost connection, new
- players will not be able to join the session for approximately
- 1.5 minutes. This is only a problem on the TCP/IP service provider.
-
- -- A multicast server may lose messages during long data transfers.
-
- -- Encrypted or signed messages can only be sent guaranteed and only between
- a client and a server player.
-
- -- When joining a secure client/server session, the client machine must
- set the DPSESSIONDESC2.dwFlags member to zero before calling
- IDirectPlay3::Open with the DPOPEN_JOIN flag otherwise a
- DPERR_INVALIDFLAGS error will be returned.
-
- -- The DPSEND_ENCRYPTED and DPSEND_SIGNED flags cannot be used when sending
- messages to a group. If security is required, send individual messages
- to each player in the group.
-
-