Windows 2000 Administration in a Nutshell

Name

bindings

Synopsis

Logical connections between network-adapter card drivers, network protocols, and network clients and services.

Description

Bindings establish a virtual path between different components of a computer’s networking subsystem, allowing packets to be passed up and down the various OSI layers as the computer communicates over the network. Windows 2000 allows a network adapter to be bound to one or more protocols, a protocol to be bound to one or more network adapters, and so on, providing great flexibility in how packets are processed as they are received from or prepared for the network.

If multiple protocols are bound to a network adapter, for example, there is a specific order (called a binding order) that determines the way in which the card will attempt to use these protocols to communicate over the network. You can rearrange the binding order to specify which protocol is attempted first, second, and so forth. You can also enable and disable specific bindings on specific network adapters in a multihomed machine, for example, if each card is connected to a different network segment running a different protocol. There is no need to have TCP/IP bound to an adapter if the segment to which the adapter is connected has computers that only run NWLink.

For information on how to configure bindings, see bindings.

Notes

Network clients and services include components such as:

• Client for Microsoft Networks

• Client for NetWare Networks

• File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networks ...