from
The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (8 July 2008)
Server Message Block
<protocol> (SMB) A {client/server} {protocol} that provides
file and printer sharing between computers. In addition SMB
can share {serial ports} and communications abstractions such
as {named pipes} and {mail slots}. SMB is similar to {remote
procedure call} (RPC) specialised for file system access.
SMB was developed by {Intel}, {Microsoft}, and {IBM} in the
early 1980s. It has also had input from {Xerox} and {3Com}.
It is the native method of file and print sharing for
Microsoft {operating systems}; where it is called {Microsoft
Networking}. {Windows for Workgroups}, {Windows 95}, and
{Windows NT} all include SMB clients and servers. SMB is also
used by {OS/2}, {Lan Manager} and {Banyan} {Vines}. There are
SMB servers and clients for {Unix}, for example {Samba} and
{smbclient}.
SMB is a {presentation layer} protocol structured as a large
set of commands (Server Message Blocks). There are commands
to support file sharing, printer sharing, {user
authentication}, resource browsing, and other miscellaneous
functions. As clients and servers may implement different
versions ("dialects") of the protocol they negotiate before
starting a session.
The {redirector} packages SMB requests into a {network control
block} (NBC) structure that can be sent across the network to
a remote device.
SMB originally ran on top of the lower level protocols
{NetBEUI} and {NetBIOS}, but now typically runs over {TCP/IP}.
Microsoft have developed an extended version of SMB for the
{Internet}, the {Common Internet File System} (CIFS), which in
most cases replaces SMB. {CIFS} runs only runs over TCP/IP.
Just what is SMB?
(http://samba.anu.edu.au/cifs/docs/what-is-smb.html).
IBM protocols
(http://protocols.com/pbook/ibm.htm).
Microsoft SMB/CIFS documents
(ftp://ftp.microsoft.com/developr/drg/CIFS/).
(1999-08-08)