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I have never done any DB network coding so Im trying to get a feel for how it works. In the past I've used Direct Play but even that seems to have to much overhead. Anyway, onto the question.

The commands for setting up a client/server environment are quite straight forward, but Im curious is it possible to run a server that is not the same executable as the client. Im not sure how it will handle this as one way of managing connections (such is the case with Direct Play) is with a GUID to make sure the attempted connection goes to the right program, but this doesn't seem to be how DB handles connections.

There is probably a simple answer, I just haven't been able to find a good reference for how Network connections are handled in DB.

Certainly, you can use different code on servers and clients. In the client/server schema, the client makes requests via ports, and the server responds via another port. This is handled in the network code of the respective machines. That is how TCP/IP and UDP work. Remember that networks function in layers, so it is possible to communicate with many programs, not simply app to app. This is also how you can get many players in a game.

GUIDs are how Microsoft OSs manage components. Their use in network code is related to DirectPlay/DirectX more than the networking paradigm at work. Network code is either a proprietary protocol, or an established one like the TCP/IP family of network protocols. That is the one that you should study, especially UDP.

...and no, the answer in this case is complicated, I'm afraid.

Thanks jin for your input. I was afraid something might have been lost in the encapsulation of the direct play code that caused DB's networking scheme to be app specific. Luckily as you say, this is not the case =). Again thanks for the insight, and hopefully Ill be able to use the DB networking functions without having to know the nitty gritty details of how it does what it does. That does seem to be the beauty of DB after all.