July 27, 2005 - As most of you know by now, Microsoft has (finally...)
released Beta 1 of Windows Vista (a.k.a. "Longhorn). Windows Vista Beta 1
(Build 5112) is available for download for MSDN Subscribers.

There are a lot of changes in Windows Vista that need to be evaluated and
accommodated during the Beta. However, PCAUSA has been working with early
Longhorn releases and has been making initial preparations for Longhorn for
about a year.

Although we aren't ready to release NDIS 6 versions of the Rawether NDIS
protocol drivers, Rawether V5.5 can be used on Windows Vista today by
following these simple steps:

1.) Copy the PcaSp50.sys driver to a new file named PcaSp60.sys.
2.) Copy the PcaMp50.sys driver to a new file named PcaMp60.sys.
3.) Copy the new PcaSp60.sys and PcaMp60.sys drivers to the
Windows\System32\Drivers folder.

By doing this, your existing Rawether V5.5 applications will (should...) run
on Windows Vista without requiring modification.

This renaming process allows the current Rawether NDIS 5 protocol drivers to
be used as interim substitutes for the NDIS 6 drivers We will let you know
when the Rawether NDIS 6 drivers are completed, tested and digitally signed
under the new "Driver Quality Signature" program.

I will be adding a new NDIS 6 section to the NDIS.com website when I get a
chance.

Good news is that the PCAUSA "OIDScope" application (which can make NDIS
queries without using a driver...) continues to work on Windows Vista Build
5112. OIDScope can be found at the URL:

http://www.pcausa.com/Utilities/ndistools.htm

(I suspect that OIDscope will not work in some future release, however...)

The only bad news is that the NDIScope .NET (C# application) does not run on
Build 5112. It did work on the prior Build 5098 release, so it is hopefully
a small problem.

I would be interested in hearing from those of you who are developing NDIS 6
miniport drivers - including 802.3 and 802.whatever... At present I am lucky
because I have some spare Intel PRO/100 adapters around and the Windows
Vista driver development kit (the "WDK") includes a NDIS 6 miniport sample
for that adapter.

I would like to test Rawether and other PCAUSA products on a variety of NDIS
6 adapters - and I am sure others would as well.

Regards,

Thomas F. Divine