The SocketWrench .NET Edition is a managed code class that simplifies the task of developing TCP/IP networking applications in Visual Studio .NET using any of the available programming languages such as Visual Basic and C#. SocketWrench is ideal for the developer who requires the features and functionality of the native socket classes, without the inherent complexities and learning curve typically involved with network programming. The class provides a comprehensive interface that makes it easy to build both client and server applications, with full support for the TCP and UDP protocols as well as raw sockets.

SocketWrench also includes support for secure, encrypted connections using the industry standard Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocols. There's no need for you to understand the details of certificate management, data encryption or how the security protocols work. Secure sessions can be established just by setting a few properties and SocketWrench takes care of the rest. You can easily create secure client and server applications, and there's support for advanced features like client certificates and protocol selection.

For developers who have used the ActiveX version of SocketWrench, you'll immediately find yourself in familiar territory. The SocketWrench .NET class interface has properties, methods and events that are very similar to the control that you've used in languages like Visual Basic 6.0. It is important to keep in mind that SocketWrench .NET is a managed code class, not a wrapper around the ActiveX control, so there will be some inherent differences. However, whenever possible the class interface was designed to make the transition from the ActiveX control as easy as possible.