Accessing Remote File Systems

Windows CE supports the CIFS redirector for accessing remote file systems and remote printers. The CIFS Protocol is also referred to as the Server Message Block (SMB) Protocol. The redirector's purpose is twofold: to reestablish a disrupted connection and to handle remote file system requests by packaging them and sending them to the target host for processing. The target host returns results to the computer making the request.

The Windows CE redirector supports connections to Windows–based desktop platforms, or servers compliant with the Windows NT LM 0.12 dialect of the Common Internet File System (CIFS) Specification. Applications access network drives either by way of WNet or a standard file system API with UNC paths.

To use the WNet functions under Windows CE, the redirector DLL, known as Redir.dll, and the NetBIOS DLL, known as Netbios.dll, must be installed in the Windows directory. If these DLLs are not installed, WNet functions return ERROR_NO_NETWORK.

Note The NetBIOS DLL contains only what is necessary to support the CIFS redirector. Windows CE does not support the NetBIOS interface for use by other applications.

 Last updated on Friday, April 02, 2004

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