The third reason deals with security considerations. Because NWLink is much easier to install and configure than TCP/IP, it is a choice when Internet access is not an issue. The second reason to use NWLink is for connecting small, interconnected (routed) networks.
The first use is obvious: to enable communication with NetWare servers. NWLink is used for three purposes in a Windows 2000 network environment. NWLink configures its own routing tables, which makes it nice for small networks however, it is not practical for large WANs like the Internet and cannot be used to connect directly to the Internet. A router is a computer or dedicated hardware device that is able to look at the destination address on a network packet and determine (by looking at a routing table) if the information is destined for a computer on the local LAN or if it should be transferred (through a second network interface) to another network. NWLink is routable, meaning that it can be transferred from a local network to a remote one through a router.
This protocol is Microsoft's emulation of Novell's IPX/ SPX protocol and was developed to enable interconnectivity between Microsoft and NetWare networks. One of the protocols used in Windows 2000 networks is the NWLink IPX/SPX/NetBIOS Compatible Transport Protocol, NWLink for short.
