Networking in DOSBox-X: NE2000, IPX, and Slirp Guide

DOSBox-X supports two distinct networking subsystems: IPX-over-UDP for classic DOS LAN multiplayer games, and full NE2000 Ethernet emulation for a broader range of networking scenarios including TCP/IP access from DOS and Windows 9x guests. Both are disabled by default and must be explicitly enabled in your configuration file. This page covers both subsystems, their configuration options, and how to choose the right backend for your use case.

IPX Networking

The [ipx] section enables IPX-over-UDP emulation, which allows multiple running instances of DOSBox-X on the same LAN (or connected over the internet) to communicate using the IPX protocol. This is useful for the many classic DOS multiplayer games that used Novell IPX as their network transport.

[ipx]
ipx = true

IPX tunneling works by encapsulating IPX packets inside UDP/IP datagrams. One DOSBox-X instance acts as the server; others connect to it by IP address. No additional host-side drivers or privileges are needed.

IPX networking is the simplest way to set up LAN multiplayer for classic DOS games such as DOOM, Quake, and Command & Conquer. No packet driver or additional DOS software is required — DOSBox-X handles the IPX stack internally.

NE2000 Ethernet Emulation

The [ne2000] section emulates a Novell NE2000-compatible ISA Ethernet adapter. This is the classic go-to network card for DOS and early Windows drivers. With NE2000 emulation enabled, you can load a DOS packet driver or a Windows 9x NE2000 driver inside the guest and use real TCP/IP networking.

Core NE2000 Settings

[ne2000]
ne2000  = true
nicbase = 300
nicirq  = 3
macaddr = random
backend = auto

Option	Default	Description
`ne2000`	`false`	Enable NE2000 Ethernet emulation
`nicbase`	`300`	I/O base address of the emulated NE2000 adapter (hex)
`nicirq`	`3`	IRQ line used by the adapter. Note: serial port 2 also defaults to IRQ 3 — change one if both are in use
`macaddr`	`random`	MAC address for the emulated adapter. `AC:DE:48` is reserved for private use; change the last three octets if running multiple DOSBox-X instances on the same network
`backend`	`auto`	Which backend handles real network traffic: `pcap`, `slirp`, `nothing`, or `auto`

When backend = auto, DOSBox-X selects slirp if it is available in the build, otherwise falling back to pcap. If neither backend is available, NE2000 emulation is silently disabled even if ne2000 = true.

Choosing a Backend

Slirp (Recommended)
PCAP (Bridged)

The slirp backend implements a user-space TCP/IP stack inside DOSBox-X. No special host privileges or external tools are needed. The guest gets a private NAT network with DHCP, routing, and DNS provided by DOSBox-X itself.

[ne2000]
ne2000  = true
nicirq  = 3
nicbase = 300
backend = slirp

[ethernet, slirp]
ipv4_network    = 10.0.2.0
ipv4_netmask    = 255.255.255.0
ipv4_host       = 10.0.2.2
ipv4_nameserver = 10.0.2.3
ipv4_dhcp_start = 10.0.2.15

Option	Default	Description
`ipv4_network`	`10.0.2.0`	The IPv4 network the guest and host services share
`ipv4_netmask`	`255.255.255.0`	Subnet mask for the guest network
`ipv4_host`	`10.0.2.2`	IP address of the virtual host/gateway on the NAT network. The guest receives an address from `ipv4_dhcp_start` (10.0.2.15) via DHCP
`ipv4_nameserver`	`10.0.2.3`	DNS server address provided to the guest
`ipv4_dhcp_start`	`10.0.2.15`	Start of the DHCP address pool

The slirp backend is only available in MinGW (GCC) builds of DOSBox-X for Windows. Visual Studio builds do not include slirp. On Linux and macOS, slirp is typically available in all packages.

The pcap backend uses libpcap to bridge the emulated NE2000 directly to a real host network adapter. The guest appears as a distinct device on your physical LAN and can obtain an IP address from your router via DHCP.

[ne2000]
ne2000  = true
nicirq  = 3
nicbase = 300
backend = pcap

[ethernet, pcap]
realnic = 1
timeout = default

Option	Default	Description
`realnic`	`list`	Which host network interface to bridge. Set `list` to display available interfaces in the DOSBox-X Help menu, then specify the interface number (e.g. `2`) or a partial name (e.g. `Ethernet`)
`timeout`	`default`	pcap read timeout in milliseconds

pcap mode requires the guest and host to be on the same network segment. It typically requires administrator/root privileges on the host to open the network interface in promiscuous mode. On Windows, WinPcap or Npcap must be installed.

Complete Example: Windows 9x Internet Access via Slirp

The following configuration enables NE2000 networking with slirp for a Windows 98 guest. After booting Windows, install the NE2000 driver from the Windows 98 CD when Device Manager prompts for it, and configure TCP/IP to use DHCP.

[dosbox]
machine = svga_s3
memsize = 64

[ne2000]
ne2000  = true
nicirq  = 3
nicbase = 300
macaddr = AC:DE:48:88:99:AA
backend = slirp

[ethernet, slirp]
ipv4_network    = 10.0.2.0
ipv4_netmask    = 255.255.255.0
ipv4_host       = 10.0.2.2
ipv4_nameserver = 10.0.2.3
ipv4_dhcp_start = 10.0.2.15

Using a DOS Packet Driver

For DOS-based TCP/IP networking (without Windows), you need to load an NE2000 packet driver inside DOSBox-X. The driver must be loaded before any TCP/IP software.

Obtain an NE2000 packet driver

Download an NE2000 NDIS or packet driver (such as NE2000.COM from Crynwr Packet Driver Collection) and place it in a directory accessible inside DOSBox-X.

Load the packet driver

Load the driver with the base address and IRQ matching your [ne2000] configuration:

NE2000.COM 0x60 3 0x300

The arguments are: software interrupt vector (0x60 is conventional), IRQ, and I/O base address.

Configure your TCP/IP stack

With the packet driver loaded, start your DOS TCP/IP software (such as mTCP, WATTCP, or Trumpet Winsock) and configure it to use DHCP or the static IP address from your slirp/pcap settings.

Networking Feature Matrix

Feature	IPX	NE2000 + Slirp	NE2000 + PCAP
DOS LAN multiplayer games	✅	✅ (with packet driver)	✅ (with packet driver)
Internet access from DOS	❌	✅	✅
Windows 9x TCP/IP	❌	✅	✅
Requires host privileges	❌	❌	✅
Guest on host LAN	❌	❌ (NAT only)	✅
Available on all platforms	✅	Linux/macOS; MinGW on Windows	✅ (with libpcap)

Getting Started

Configuration

Drives & Storage

Emulation Features

Troubleshooting

Networking in DOSBox-X: NE2000, IPX, and Slirp Guide

IPX Networking

NE2000 Ethernet Emulation

Core NE2000 Settings

Choosing a Backend

Complete Example: Windows 9x Internet Access via Slirp

Using a DOS Packet Driver

Networking Feature Matrix

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Getting Started

Configuration

Drives & Storage

Emulation Features

Troubleshooting

Documentation Index

​IPX Networking

​NE2000 Ethernet Emulation

​Core NE2000 Settings

​Choosing a Backend

​Complete Example: Windows 9x Internet Access via Slirp

​Using a DOS Packet Driver

​Networking Feature Matrix

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

IPX Networking

NE2000 Ethernet Emulation

Core NE2000 Settings

Choosing a Backend

Complete Example: Windows 9x Internet Access via Slirp

Using a DOS Packet Driver

Networking Feature Matrix