NDIS Miniport is a synonym for NDIS IM which is used when you need to change packets at Kernel level, this includes modifying the header and body, dropping or adding packets.
At Komodia we use a NDIS IM driver for our new NAT server interception.
Barak
NDIS filter development is a tedious and hard process, there are packages on the Internet that offer an easier development, but the real question should be – DO YOU NEED NDIS FILTER? you see, some implementations can only be done with NDIS filter, BUT there are scenarios which can be solved with NDIS or other network interception technologies. If this is the case it’s imperative you know FOR SURE, that NDIS was indeed the correct technology for that solution.
Barak
NDIS Filter is used to perform packet filtering, modification and inspection, unlike other technologies like LSP and TDI which operate on streams.
NDIS Filter is actually a NDIS IM driver which receives packets (to send or receive), can perform processing on them and then send them to the next layer or drop them, that’s why NDIS IM drivers are used for: Firewalls, corporate firewalls, custom network solutions and more.
When stream operations is requires, NDIS IM is sometimes a bad choice because it imposes additional work to convert packets to streams, which can be avoided if using TDI or LSP.
Barak
There are several ways to implement a firewall:
Barak