Like the Service API the NetService API provides a way for plugins to create services that can be managed in a central location (Services panel) and controlled via component defined verbs like Start or Stop. However, the NetService API provides additional functionality for services relating to networking such as HTTP Proxies, FTP servers, DNS servers etc.

The NetService API manages binding of your service to adapters and IPs, notification of network connection establishment, management of a log source for your service and a number of other features. Your side of the contract requires providing a NetServiceProviderInterface that the framework can use to perform functions such as serialisation, persistence and initialisation of your service.

Using

The basic steps to use the NetService API are as follows:

In the WinGate engine side module

• Initialise and implement the NetServiceProviderInterface to fulfil all requests from the framework
• Register the NetServiceProviderInterface interface with NetServiceRegisterProvider
• Optionally use NetServiceGetLogHandle and NetServiceGetUsageLogHandle if you wish to log using the service's log source

In the UI side module

• Initialise and implement a NetServiceProviderUIInterface to fulfil all requests from the framework
• Register the NetServiceProviderUIInterface interface with NetServiceRegisterProviderUI
• When asked to edit the service via the NetServiceProviderUIInterface callbacks, add any custom properties with NetServiceUIPropertiesAddParameterGroup and NetServiceUIPropertiesAddParameter
• When notified of edit completion via the NetServiceProviderUIInterface callbacks, retrieve custom property values with NetServiceUIPropertiesGetParameterValue

The framework will transport configuration data between UI and Engine but you need to provide the appropriate functions in your NetServiceProviderInterface to (de)serialise the data to/from a memory buffer.