Latest News About Network Driver Interface Specification

Here’s the latest I can provide based on current public information up to 2024-2025, with emphasis on what’s commonly tracked for Network Driver Interface Specification (NDIS):

• What NDIS is: NDIS is the Windows network driver API that defines how protocol drivers and network adapter drivers communicate, enabling interoperability across hardware vendors and software stacks.[3]
• Recent development focus: In recent Windows driver architectures, Microsoft introduced NetAdapterCx (Network Adapter WDF Class Extension) starting with Windows 10 20H1 era, aimed at simplifying and stabilizing network adapter driver development beyond classic NDIS, including support for modern driver stacking and runtime reconfiguration scenarios.[2]
• Version history snapshot: NDIS has evolved through many major versions, with 6.x series covering Windows Vista through Windows 11/Server variants, and ongoing incremental updates for newer Windows releases (e.g., 6.40 to 6.89 in parallel with Windows 8.1–2025-era platforms).[1][4]
• Practical implications: For developers, this means choosing the appropriate NDIS version or the NetAdapterCx pathway depending on target Windows release, hardware capabilities, and driver architecture goals (modularity, runtime configurability, and offload features).[2][3]

Illustrative notes

• If you’re maintaining or designing a Windows NIC driver today, you’ll encounter two main tracks: traditional NDIS 6.x stacking and the newer NetAdapterCx framework, each with its own samples, documentation, and WDK guidance. This separation reflects Microsoft's shift toward more maintainable, modern driver models while preserving compatibility with legacy stacks where needed.[3][2]
• For historical context, the NDIS lineage includes major milestones where features like NET_BUFFER handling and runtime reconfiguration were introduced or refined, which informs current best practices around memory management and packet processing in drivers.[2]

Would you like a concise timeline of NDIS version milestones and the corresponding Windows releases, or a quick starter guide for choosing between NDIS 6.x vs NetAdapterCx for a new driver project? I can compile that with citations.