How do you create a virtual network interface on Windows?

On linux, it's possible to create a tun interface using a tun driver which provides a "network interface psuedo-device" that can be treated as a regular network interface. Is there a way to do this programmatically on windows? Is there a way to do this without writing my own driver?

Solution 1:

You can do this on XP with the Microsoft Loopback Adapter which is a driver for a virtual network card.

On newer Windows version: Installing the Microsoft Loopback Adapter in Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012

Solution 2:

@Tim
Depending on the licensing you might be able to use the TUN/TAP driver that is part of OpenVPN, see here for details.