What is a wan miniport?

A WAN Miniport, short for Wide Area Network Miniport, is a driver software that allows the operating system to communicate with network devices over a wide area network (WAN). It provides the necessary functionality for network connections such as dial-up, virtual private networks (VPNs), and direct remote connections.

WAN Miniports are virtual adapters that can be found in the Device Manager of a computer. They are used to create and manage network connections to remote networks and are typically installed along with network protocols or VPN software. Each WAN Miniport is designed to support a specific network protocol or technology.

There are different types of WAN Miniports available, including:

1. WAN Miniport (PPTP): This miniport is used for Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP) connections, which allow secure and encrypted communication over the internet. PPTP is commonly used for creating VPN connections.

2. WAN Miniport (L2TP): This miniport is used for Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol (L2TP) connections, another VPN protocol that provides secure communication between networks.

3. WAN Miniport (SSTP): This miniport is used for Secure Socket Tunneling Protocol (SSTP) connections, which enable VPN connectivity over SSL/TLS encrypted channels. SSTP is often used for VPN connections that require high security.

4. WAN Miniport (IKEv2): This miniport is used for Internet Key Exchange version 2 (IKEv2) VPN connections. IKEv2 is a protocol that allows for secure key exchange and is commonly used in mobile devices.

WAN Miniports are essential in creating and managing network connections in a wide area network setting. They allow users to connect to remote networks securely, access resources, and maintain communication over long distances.