The Microsoft CIFS

< Day Day Up >

---

The Microsoft CIFS

In short, the Microsoft Windows Common Internet File System (CIFS) describes how Microsoft Windows networks communicate on TCP/IP networks. While it's all based on the Server Message Block (SMB) protocol, Microsoft uses CIFS to emphasize the interconnectivity of its networks with the Internet.

There is a whole history behind networking on Microsoft Windows computers. While the following descriptions are "oversimplifications," they give you a feel for the complexity of Windows networking. However, the GUIs for Windows networks share a common look and feel. Networks can be organized into small groups of computers known as Workgroups, and larger groups with centralized systems known as Domains.

Before we continue, make sure you understand both the Workgroup and Domain concepts as they apply to Microsoft Windows-based networks.

Workgroup: A simple group of computers connected together in a network. Any computer in a Workgroup can share directories and printers. A Workgroup does not have a centralized database of users and passwords. This is a common way to organize networks of 10 or fewer computers, and is also known as a "peer-to-peer" network.

Domain: In the Microsoft world, this is a group of computers, connected together in a network, with a centralized database of users and passwords. This type of network often is administered with common policies for users and computers. This is different from domain names on the Internet; those names relate to a hierarchy of computers on that worldwide network.

Background

A network consists of two or more computers that communicate with each other. Generally, networks are used to share files and printers. When Microsoft first wanted to set up File and Print servers, it borrowed from its operating-system roots with IBM and adapted NetBIOS (the Network Basic Input Output System). Computer names are limited to 15 characters. Microsoft also adapted IBM's enhanced NetBIOS system, NetBEUI (NetBIOS Extended User Interface), which supports individual networks of up to 255 computers.

The weakness of NetBEUI is that it is not routable; in other words, you can't set up NetBEUI to allow two different networks to communicate with each other. The development of the Internet stimulated Microsoft to take its network interfaces in a different direction, which led to the development of CIFS. Because it is still based on SMB, CIFS has retained its compatibility with Samba.

In modern networks, there are clients and servers. Servers offer to share directories and printers with other computers on the network. Clients connect to and use these "shares."