The Server Message Blocks (SMB) protocol, developed jointly by Microsoft, Intel, and IBM, defines a series of commands used to pass information between networked computers. The SMB redirector packages requests meant for remote servers in an SMB structure.
SMB uses four message types, which are listed following:
Session control messages, which consist of commands that start and end a redirector connection to a shared resource at the server.
File messages, which the redirector uses to gain access to files at the server.
Printer messages, which the redirector uses to send data to a print queue at a server and to get status information about the print queue.
Message messages, which allow an application to exchange messages with another workstation.
The Common Internet File System (CIFS) is a subset of the SMB protocol tuned for use on the Internet. CIFS has been submitted by Microsoft to the Internet Engineering Task Force as an Internet Draft.
SMBs and CIFS provide interoperability between different versions of the Microsoft family of networking products and other networks that use SMBs. SMB and CIFS clients and servers are available for the following operating systems and products:
Windows NT Server
Windows NT Workstation
Microsoft Windows 95
Microsoft Windows for Workgroups
Microsoft LAN Manager for Microsoft Operating System/2 (MS OS/2)
LAN Manager for MS-DOS®
LAN Manager for UNIX
Apple Macintosh®
IBM Warp Connect
DEC Pathworks
Unisys Advanced Server for UNIX
SAMBA
SCO UNIX
For more information about CIFS, see http://www.microsoft.com/intdev/cifs.