How to make network devices work in repeater mode (and work exclusively with packets)?

Question

System Programming

For example, a configuration may contain several Ethernet network devices (WIFI, wired, optical). The machine can be installed both Windows and Linux. Under these operating systems, you need to send and receive directly through the driver (that is, so that neither the kernel nor the sockets receive either received or transmitted packets). The next task is to directly switch packets between devices (so that any pair of devices can work in repeater mode). And here you need to transmit-receive on a single device (it is impossible to transmit to all devices at once).

1. What are the kernel APIs for this in Windows (official documentation)?
2. What are the kernel APIs for this in Linux (official documentation)?
3. How applicable and beneficial is it to use tracing for this task?
4. Are devices of different models compatible (by driver buffer)?

Answer 1

repeater mode - this is a network bridge (bridge) is in any operating system, this is when you need to combine two network devices into a single network, it works incl. wifi + ethernet
if you need to literally receive and send packets, then first decide what exactly you are receiving and how it looks like what you are sending. now tcp / ip dominates in networks, of course you can use other network protocols (for example, ipx / spx), but the main support is directed precisely at this protocol, then configure the firewall. It is also available in any OS, but the most functional one is in linux (iptables and, for example, bpf is used to replace it)

Answer 2

Under Windows, NDIS and mini-filters based on it should cope with this task. Please write if you have any objections to using NDIS. What literature would you recommend if, for example, I don’t understand how to write the procedure for loading and initializing a Windows driver?
What alternative to NDIS is available on Linux?