Windows 9X Networking

Microsoft 32-bit DLC Protocol

The Data Link Control (DLC) protocol is used primarily to access IBM mainframe and IBM AS/400 computers. Host terminal-emulation programs use this protocol to communicate directly with mainframe computers.

Note: The DLC protocol is not used for general networking with Windows 98. That is to say that DLC will not be used to connect two Windows machines.

The 32-bit DLC protocol first appeared in the Windows 95 Service pack 1, and was a complete replacement for Microsoft’s previous real mode DLC stack for Windows for Workgroups 3.11 and Windows 95. The Microsoft 32-bit DLC protocol stack completely upgrades the earlier real mode stack with a protect mode implementation. As a result, users may experience enhanced performance using the 32-bit DLC protocol