This component allows client computers on a local area network (LAN) to access the Internet through a single shared Internet connection on an edge computer, which functions as the host. Because this client-side component is fully compliant with Universal Plug and Play (UPnP), any UPnP-compliant Network Address Translation (NAT) device can be discovered and controlled using this component. In addition to a user interface (UI), this component exposes a scriptable application programming interface (API) to configure the host NAT—specifically, static port mappings.
This component requires Component Object Model (COM) registration.
The Internet Connection Sharing client component (hnetcfg.dll) depends on netman.dll, netshell.dll, and the Windows shell, known as Windows Explorer. Specifically, the Network Connections service must be running. In addition, the msxml.dll that ships with Internet Explorer 5.01 or later is required.
For more information about the Connection Sharing API in the platform software development kit (SDK), see this Microsoft Web site.